A Champion's Revival
by EeveeKitty
Summary: A tragedy occurs. A boy mourns his loss as darkness encloses him. In his worst moment, his friends weren't there for him, and their families hurt him more than anyone could imagine. The teenager chose to run, leaving everything behind in order to improve—to protect those he cared about. Four years later, his identity is finally revealed. The world-renowned Trainer, Ash Ketchum.
1. Chapter 1

A teenager with bright orange hair sat on a simple turquoise bed, holding a small photo frame to her chest. Her eyes were bloodshot and she wiped salty water away from her face with her yellow shirt sleeve.

She took one last quick glance at the photograph, and shed a few more tears at the sight of an eleven-year-old boy grinning back at her, his warm chocolate-brown eyes shining brightly. He looked so real that she almost reached out to touch the flimsy paper, intending on tidying his unkempt raven hair; the hat that he usually had upon his head was held in his right hand.

Finally tearing her sea-green eyes away from the boy's picture, she grabbed a tissue and blew her nose with it. "Why did he have to…and he still owed me a bike, too…" she murmured hysterically.

* * *

A sixteen-year-old stood atop the highest mountain range in all of Napaj, Mt. Silver. He wore nothing but a black shirt, torn blue jeans, and a brown cloak with the hood down. He stood in front of a collection of Pokémon to onlook their progress, and gave them advice when needed.

His chocolate eyes were currently focused on a small mouse-like creature. The rodent was primarily yellow in color, but bore two brown stripes on his back and another of the same color on his tail, shaped like a lightning bolt.

The mouse was grinning toward his opponent as he dodged an azure-blue globe of glowing energy. The attacker was a bipedal canine-like Pokémon with blue and black fur. There was a patch of cream colored fur as well on his chest, along with a spike. There was also a round spike on the back of each paw.

The Pokémon quickly created three more balls before firing them at his evasive sparring partner. The Pikachu shook his head in mock disappointment, speedily maneuvering around the Aura Spheres and retaliating with an arc of electricity.

The Lucario merely watched the Thunderbolt approach him, looking bored. With an Extreme Speed, he appeared behind the Electric-type and smoothly transitioned to a Bone Rush. Pikachu canceled his attack before it even hit the ground where Lucario previously stood. Debris clouded the battle field.

The Ground-type attack hit something solid, but no bundle of yellow went soaring through the cold air. Instead, the club fazed through the Substitute seconds after it had seemingly struck the clever mouse.

The Aura Pokémon smirked and pivoted, catching the steel-coated tail in his paws before it could land a blow. Just then, a shout rang out across the area, signaling everybody to rest. Lucario and Pikachu both relaxed from their tense postures, and the jackal loosened his grip on the other's tail, which had returned to its regular color scheme. Their Trainer stepped towards them, smiling.

"That was a very good job, you two. Well done."

 _"Thank you, Master,"_ Lucario replied gratefully.

 _"Yeah, thanks. Although, you were the one who trained us, Ash,"_ Pikachu pointed out.

The teenager chuckled a bit. "Please don't start this. I help you get stronger, but you choose to stick with me. We work together to make this work, just like we've always done.

"Anyway, I have some big news. It's obvious that people know about Red, but the Pokémon League personally invited us to attend the Master Tournament that is staged every ten years. I wrote them back with a confirmation."

His Pokémon began to cheer, feeling the familiar adrenaline rush they get when they are sent into battle. Pikachu laughed out of pure excitement.

Ash smiled as he saw his Pokémon's thrilled expressions. "We're going to storm the competition," he said.

* * *

It was a sunny day for the people who lived in the small and peaceful area known as Pallet Town. The sky was a bright blue, the cirrus clouds dotting it white. The air was warm with a passing breeze now and then that prevented one from getting too hot.

A shadow circled an open area from overhead, and curious adults squinted upward to try and get a glimpse of the Pokémon casting it. Soon, the creature landed, and it was revealed to be a large brown and cream bird.

The male sitting on the bird's back swiftly jumped off, landing effortlessly on both feet right beside the Pokémon. The yellow mouse on the avian's head thanked her before he leapt onto his Trainer's shoulder. The Pidgeot merely chirped back and took to the skies once again.

The teenager began walking toward a very recognizable building, his cloak billowing with every step he took. He ascended the steps with ease, stopping at the door and taking a moment to inhale some fresh air.

He shared a nostalgic glance with his inseparable partner. "This really brings back memories, doesn't it?" he asked.

 _"Yeah, it does,"_ the mouse agreed.

The teenager sent him a quick smile and rapped on the door. Barking was heard, among other noises, which was followed by a particularly loud string of curses. Seconds later, the door swung violently open, and an annoyed brunet dressed in a shirt and jeans underneath a white lab coat stood where it had once been.

"Let me guess. You want to register for the Master Tournament." Although it wasn't a question, he still nodded. The brunet rolled his viridian eyes, and said, "Fine. What's your name, then?"

The boy didn't hesitate. "Red." Professor Gary Oak's eyebrows shot up instantly.

"Red Satoshi?! The one who singlehandedly took down all five of the major criminal organizations here in Napaj?!"

The teenager sighed, but nevertheless nodded. His left hand dug around in his pocket, searching for the letter that the Pokémon League had sent. He eventually found it, and took the envelope out before handing it to the researcher. "Here," he said, watching Gary reach out for the paper slowly, still partially in his stunned stupor. As soon as his childhood friend took the letter, Ash turned around and left.

* * *

"That was one of the hardest things I had to do, even if I didn't show it." Ash sighed forlornly as he walked down the dirt paths of his hometown. "I bet _they_ probably told my friends that I had died, since Gary didn't seem to be all that sad."

Pikachu's ears drooped. _"Ash…"_ he muttered.

Ash reached up and stroked his partner's head. "It'll be alright," he soothed. "It's going to be fine."

* * *

The eighteen-year-old sat at the edge of the Gym's pool, thinking about the one boy that had stolen her heart; the one boy who was claimed to be dead. Her friends had started to believe it after four years of no contact, but she wouldn't even dare _think_ that he was gone. Misty Waterflower was stubborn, and she still had faith that Ash Ketchum would return one day.

* * *

Three adults were huddled together and whispering, occasionally sneaking quick glances at the orangette. "Look at her," the pink-haired girl said quietly to the two others.

"She'll hate us if we tell her," the bluenette snapped back. The blonde let out a resigned sigh.

"We deserve it, though," she decided. "We can't excuse our actions. All we can do is ask for forgiveness. If she gives it, then we'll be grateful for that. If she doesn't…well, I can understand why."

The three cringed, looking at their younger sister and remembering what had happened four years ago.

Violet took in a long and shaky breath, before saying, "Well, I guess we'll just have to hope for the best, won't we?"

Lily merely nodded, guilt welling up inside of her. Daisy seemed like she was going to say something, but then closed her mouth.

"What is it?" Lily asked concernedly.

"It's just…" Daisy didn't know how best to word her question, so she said what was on her mind. "Do you think that…that she'll ever forgive us?"

Their eyes widened, not having expected that. "Daisy…" Violet murmured.

"I know I've made fun of Misty a lot, but I really do care about her. I hate knowing that we hurt her, and then lied about it! I just…if I know Misty, and I do know her, she'll start yelling and screaming at us and then that will turn into sobs, where at that point she'll tell us to leave. But I don't know if she'll forgive us."

"…just try not to think about it," Lily said.

* * *

Ash was sitting on a branch, eating an Oran Berry. Pikachu was down on the ground, wreaking havoc on the surrounding land as he fought against Pidgeot.

 _"Take this!"_ he yelled, firing off a quick jolt that spread out across the makeshift battlefield. His opponent attempted to dodge, but was struck by the Thunder Wave. Her wings locked up, and she hit the ground hard. Pikachu winced, but encased himself in electricity nonetheless, before redirecting the energy to his shimmering tail. Taking advantage of the situation, he sprinted up a nearby tree at an incredible velocity and pushed off of the bark, going into a backflip.

The Volt Tail attack, as Ash and Pikachu had dubbed it, had exceptional aim, but Pidgeot stayed strong despite its power. She finally found the strength to fly again, even with the Paralysis in effect. She flapped her large wings, creating extremely powerful gusts that blew the Mouse Pokémon around without any trouble.

Ash looked down from his position on the tree limb, having finished his snack. He raised an eyebrow as the winds began to pick up drastically, before he smirked. "Hurricane," he muttered to himself. No sooner had he spoken when the force of the attack blasted his starter high into the air.

Pikachu knew he couldn't struggle against the power behind the move, so allowed himself to get blown away. It was surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, easier to go with the flow of the air current rather than fight against it. He knew that from personal experience, and also knew how tactful it was during battle. The opponent would certainly be surprised, at the very least. Many were shocked enough into a paralyzed state, which made it almost annoyingly easy to attack them. Still, it was a very good offensive maneuver, as well as defensive.

Pikachu added even more momentum to his ascent using a combination of both Quick Attack and Extreme Speed, as though the mere concept of gravity hadn't even existed. As soon as he got to a height he deemed was enough, he engulfed himself in electricity yet again, before rocketing towards Pidgeot.

She attempted to dodge, but unfortunately the all but forgotten Paralysis caused her to freeze up, and Pikachu would have landed his attack on the hapless bird had it not been for the quick thinking of their Trainer.

Ash's eyes had widened when he realized what it was exactly that Pikachu was planning. "Pikachu, _stop_!" he yelled suddenly, startling the few Pidgey that had been brave enough to watch the battle. They squawked and flew away at speed, leaving the three beings on their own.

The Mouse Pokémon immediately halted the Volt Tackle on instinct alone, and he tumbled into the bemused Pidgeot without causing much damage. Static electricity discharged into her plumage, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Really, Pikachu. That was too much. Seriously, I don't want her to die because of you," he quipped as he pushed off of the branch and landed in a squat on the ground. The Electric-type crossed his stubby arms and huffed.

 _"Pidgeot wasn't going to die, you know…"_ he mumbled. Ash dusted his pants as he stood fully up. Then he raised one of his eyebrows and stared at his partner with a deadpan expression. Pikachu faltered at the intense look. _"She wasn't going to_ die _,"_ he insisted still, emphasizing the last word. Ash sighed in response, taking a Poké Ball off of his belt.

"Meganium," he called, opening the red and white sphere. The device released a white light that soon morphed into a pale-green four-legged sauropod.

"Meganium," Ash repeated, tiredly. The Grass-type duly looked at him. "These two _idiots_ over here," he groaned, pointing behind him in the general direction of where Pikachu and Pidgeot were. The bird looked at him crossly, and the rodent raised his head in defiance. The Herb Pokémon snorted in amusement. Ash continued, "They pretty much destroyed everything. So, if it's not any trouble, could you…help revive all of this?"

Meganium took one look at his pleading face and then at her two misbehaving teammates, and nodded determinedly. Ash smiled and thanked her, watching as she began to absorb the sun's rays before transferring the energy to the dead plants that were destroyed during the match.

She collapsed on the soft grass when she finished, and Ash praised her once more as he stepped forward. His hands began to glow a blue hue and the Aura flowed into his Pokémon, reinvigorating her. _"Thanks,"_ she said sincerely.

"You too," he replied. "And you're welcome. So, do you want to go back in your Poké Ball or stay out here?"

 _"I'd like to go back in, if you don't mind,"_ she said after a moment's thought.

Ash smiled warmly. "Not at all." He raised the sphere up once again, and a red beam of energy surrounded her and sucked her back into it. Turning, he faced the two troublemakers. "Pidgeot, return," he commanded, holding out the Poké Ball. She too was captured by the beam of light and deposited in the small device. Pikachu pouted.

"C'mon, let's go," Ash said, ignoring the whines from his stubborn partner. Pikachu wouldn't budge for the longest time, but chased after when he saw that Ash had already turned around and began to walk away.

In front, the boy smirked and sped up.

 _"Hey!"_ Pikachu complained from behind him. _"Slow down, Ash Ketchum!"_

The teenager only laughed and started to run.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm really sorry that I haven't updated, but I just haven't gotten much inspiration. Because really; what good is a story if the chapters are so horrible that they could possibly get compared to literal crap? That _should_ be a violation against writers.**

 **On a much lighter note, here's a new story! So please, let me know you read this and comment on it! As in, leave a review! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you want to happen, what you predict will happen… I can't get better as a writer if the readers don't help me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm going to make this quick. I'd just like to thank Spacemarine64, Ledah, logzsm, and EmberSkies for reviewing the first chapter. Just saying, even one-word reviews are amazing, and criticism is always welcomed.**

* * *

 _A flash of blue and white was all that could be seen for the longest time by the people of Cerulean City. The moving blur sped through the area, heading towards Cerulean Cave—where a fairly young teenager sat reading a book, oblivious as to what was taking place._

 _Groups of people looked on, amazed at the sight before them. The Johto Beast appeared before a startled Misty, who dropped the novel that she was paging through. "Who—Suicune!" she yelped, glancing up and coming face-to-face with the majestic Water-type._

 _The Aurora Pokémon nodded, amused._ It's been a while, Misty _, she said, eyes shining with mirth._

 _"Wha…what do you want?" the girl managed, having not quite gotten over the fact that_ Suicune _had appeared in front of her and started up a casual conversation—as though she were chatting with a close friend._

I'm hurt _, the creature said, with a teasing smile._ Can't I visit someone who caught my interest?

 _Misty couldn't hold back a gasp._ She _, a thirteen-year-old Water-type specialist, had interested the Legendary? She voiced those thoughts, and Suicune let out a small laugh._ Of course _, she replied calmly._

 _The human's jaw fell, but the shock soon wore off and was replaced with pure delight._ _"I can't believe it!" In a move very unlike Misty, she cheered and whooped, repetitively screaming those four words._

Misty? _Suicune asked._ Misty? Misty? _Misty_?

* * *

"Huh, what Suicune?" the teenager mumbled, eyes cracking open. Three silhouettes, blurred by her unfocused vision, were all that she could make out.

"Misty, don't make me sic Golduck on you!"

"…Lily, that you?" she asked, recognizing her voice but still not fully aware of what was happening. "Mm, five more minutes, please…"

"Girl, you've already had hours of sleep! Get your butt out of bed!"

"Daisy…" she whined, her brilliant sea-green eyes opening fully. "You just ruined this amazing dream I had!"

Her sister raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really now? Were you dreaming of–" She abruptly stopped herself from voicing her thought, and a moment of tense silence lingered in the room.

"What?" Misty asked, eyes narrowed and accusing.

Daisy waved her arms frantically. "Nothing, nothing!" she replied hurriedly. The younger girl's expression deadpanned; it was obviously _not_ nothing.

Still, the blonde refused to say anything more on the subject, and even went so far as commanding a Water Gun on the orangette when she wouldn't stop antagonizing her.

* * *

"Hey!"

Brock was met with the recognizable face of the Cerulean City Gym Leader. "Misty? How's it going? We haven't been in touch for awhile," he greeted amicably as he held the phone close to his ear—deliberately avoiding mentioning how her clothes and hair appeared to be drenched.

"Yeah, I know," she agreed, just as friendly. "Oh, by the way, sorry about this." She gestured to herself. "…Daisy kind of soaked me…with her Golduck…"

Brock sighed. "What happened?"

Misty threw her hands up, letting out an exasperated huff. "I've no clue! She left something unfinished, and I have a feeling I know what she was going to say, but I wanted to hear it for myself! But she complained that I was 'pestering' her, and told Golduck to Water Gun me!"

"Well, okay then. So, you ready for the tournament? It's in a few days, remember?"

The teenager nodded, her eyes shining with obvious excitement. "I know! I can't wait for it; I get tired of battling at the Gym a lot 'cause most of the challengers can't put up even a decent fight!"

Brock chuckled. "That's good to hear, because it's not going to be an easy ride for you. I'm participating; so is May, Max, Dawn, and Iris. I'm not sure about Cilan and Clemont; they're kind of expected to, seeing as they're also Gym Leaders, but you don't really know about these kinds of things. I doubt Serena's going to be, though…" He took on a thoughtful pose, stroking an imaginary beard.

Misty nodded, with a laugh. "Well, I'm completely fine with going against friends! Besides, I'd be foolish to believe that everything would be laid out for me to take; I know that I'm going to fight strong and very capable Trainers, but that's part of what makes it fun!"

"Truer words have never been spoken," Brock said sagely, mockingly.

Misty pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling a giggle. She took a calming breath, and then plastered a serious expression on her face. "Brock…" her voice grew faint as she trailed off.

"Yeah, Misty? What is it?" he asked tentatively. He knew what she was going to say, but wanted her to speak for herself. She needed this.

"Do…do you think…do you think that he'll show up?" Her voice was barely audible, and even over the phone Brock had to strain to catch all of it.

He buried his face in his hands. "Honestly, Misty…I've never been able to understand anything that goes on in that boy's mind." This prompted a weak laugh from the girl and she nodded her agreement. "But if you want to know what I personally think, if he's the same as he's always been, he will definitely come to this. If I know him, and believe me—I do, then hardly anything would be able to stop him from participating in a tournament, especially one such as this. Also, even I know that he can't stay dense forever; he left, but I don't believe that it was anything against us. If you ask me, he went to train, to get stronger. If we were invited, then I have no doubt in my mind that he was as well." Brock looked back up at the teenager with a grin that Misty hadn't seen for years. Even though he had said all of that to encourage her, he hadn't said it only for her benefit. He didn't need that speech to convince himself; he had truly believed everything that was spoken. What he needed it for was merely a reminder, but it nevertheless helped him.

The orangette smiled as well; not a weak grin she'd put on countless times to look strong, but a genuine one brimming with confidence. It only made Brock's grow, as her spirits had lifted immensely from his words. She'd realized as well that he wasn't just saying them to make her feel better. She understood that he really did mean what he said, and that he had no hard feelings for their best friend going off on his own.

"Thanks a lot, Brock," she said gratefully. "I didn't know how much I needed to hear that and be shown that someone actually believes it, until you did it. Thank you." She gave him a dazzling smile, which he returned. "See you soon, Brock-o," she chirped happily. He chuckled, and then she hung up.

* * *

Ash sighed contentedly. His Pokémon had insisted on training, and who was he to forbid it? They promised that they would only spar lightly, and that was good enough for him—after all, he didn't wish to wear them down so much that they wouldn't be ready for the upcoming tournament.

He shifted slightly on the tree branch, unintentionally disturbing the peaceful sleep that had overtaken his partner. Pikachu blinked blearily, glancing up at his Trainer with tired eyes. "Sorry," the human said, chuckling a bit.

 _"…m'kay…"_ he replied with a yawn, only half-conscious. Soon, the small mouse was again curled up comfortably on the boy's lap, lightly snoring. An amused smile passed over the ternager's face as he glanced down at the snoozing Electric-type.

"Pikachu," he murmured as he stroked the Pokémon's golden-yellow fur softly. His ears twitched slightly, and Ash ran a gentle hand over them.

A young girl ran to the base of the tree. She had curled red hair that tumbled down to her shoulders, and a black felt hat with a strip of white around the base sat upon her head, slanted to the right a bit. She had stunning crystal-blue eyes which sparkled with mischief, and sported a black short-sleeved shirt with dark-grey jean shorts. White ankle socks and red sneakers finished her look.

"Ash!" she called up.

"Yeah, what is it?" he asked.

"You like my outfit? I changed it again, and I really think it matches my personality!"

The teen began to snicker as a thought entered his mind. "Yeah, it really does!" he said through his chuckles.

She pouted. "What's wrong with it? I know something is."

Ash snorted. "Nothing's wrong with your appearance, Zo. I just started laughing because I was trying to picture you in a dress or skirt," he replied.

The female jumped into the air, disappearing into a red and black vortex, and coming out a smaller fox-like Pokémon. _"Hmph, that's not funny."_

"Actually, it really is," Ash said with a cheeky smile. "Oh—I've never really asked this—why do you keep the telepathy for your human appearance only? I get why you use it, but you always change back to Pokémon speech when you're in your original form. Why not use telepathy in both forms?"

Her pink tongue flicked out. _"Because, I don't want to."_ She laughed and bounded away.

Ash sighed, and glanced down at Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon was still sleeping, which surprised him. He knew Pikachu hadn't gotten a lot of rest the night before, but didn't realize that it had affected the Electric-type so much.

He shrugged, and slid off of the branch with practiced ease. He misplaced a step, however, and stumbled a bit before righting himself. _'Damn,'_ he thought. _'It's much harder when I'm holding someone in my arms.'_

One of Pikachu's sleepy eyes fluttered open a fraction of an inch, before it shut again. The Pokémon shifted slightly, and Ash gently set him down on the soft grass. He then gave chase to the Dark-type.

* * *

Somehow, the clever fox turned it into a game of seek-and-tag—an activity she had came up with on a day that she was especially adamant on not working. Though he had sighed at her laziness, Ash admitted to himself that it was one of her few good ideas; the others had ended up not working out as well as she had planned.

"Zorua!" he called, finally irritated at her lack of seriousness. "Get back here, this instant!"

 _"Fine!"_ He sighed, hearing the familiar whines of the troublesome fox. There was a red and black flash, and a girl stepped out of some bushes lining the dirt path. Some of her black-as-night hair cut off just past her shoulders, and the rest continued down to reach the small of her back. She wore a simple blood-red sundress, along with grey leggings that went past the knee but didn't hit the ankle. Black flats were on her feet, and invisible half-socks underneath them. "You aren't fun, you know that?" the girl said, lowering an eyelid and poking her tongue out.

Ash blinked. "Well, that's new. You actually look pretty cute in a dress, but I prefer the shorts. They look better on you. Also, Zo, you almost got me when you disguised your voice, but if you want to fool me, then…" He began to create a list from the top of his head, ticking things off on his fingers. "…well, don't transform when I'm near you, that pretty much gives everything away; don't change into an outfit with your natural color scheme, that's _just_ as obvious; oh, and don't start _acting_ like the Zo I'm used to."

The female huffed, looking away from Ash with a pout. She flashed white for a moment, encasing herself in energy, before morphing into her original form. Ash raised an eyebrow. "Huh. You could've told me you could do that," he said.

Zo watched him cautiously, wondering if he was going to say anymore. His tone didn't give anything away, but she inwardly wondered if that was just a statement or if he was implying something—accusing her, maybe? When nothing else was said, she merely assumed it was the former.

 _"You're right; I_ could _have told you that I've been secretly working on a different way to transform,"_ she said. _"But, seriously. Where'd the fun be in that?"_

Ash rolled his eyes, not bothering to respond to that rhetorical question. "Hang on…" He eyed the mischievous vixen curiously. "How long has this been happening?"

Zo stared at him. _"How long has_ what _been happening?"_

"Uh, the part about you figuring out a different way to put up illusions?"

In reply, she snickered. _"Lemme try to remember…eh, probably a couple months by now."_ She shrugged, giving her Trainer an idea of how much she really cared.

A bit unnerved by this sudden revelation, Ash took a deep breath of cold air to calm himself. "Are you telling me that this has been happening for months, and I didn't notice?"

 _"Basically, yeah. Hey, what can I say? You're still pretty dense pertaining to certain things, just like the first time we met."_ She gave him a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." Ash crossed his arms, turning around.

 _"Thanks, I will,"_ Zo said, then yelped as he began to walk away from her. _"Hey! Where are you going? Wait up!"_

He waved a hand. "You always complain about me not training you, and I think you need exercise. Train yourself, will you? If you want to stay with me, then you've got to work for it. I'm going back to get Pikachu and the others, but Arceus help you trying to get me to slow down."

 _"Jerk,"_ the Dark-type muttered, swiftly disguising herself as a human. Her appearance this time was of a young teenager with fiery-orange mid-length hair styled into a messy ponytail with a red band. She was wearing a shirt that was crystal-blue — a color that matched her eyes — with sleeves that ended at the forearms, and turquoise jeggings. White and black shoes adorned her feet, along with a pair of grey ankle socks. Zo started after the annoying raven-haired boy.

Ash turned around, wondering whether or not Zorua had actually fallen for his act. He saw a female running after him with a scowl, and he couldn't hold back a laugh. Of course he wasn't going to just leave her there if she'd decided to be stubborn, but apparently she'd believed it anyway. _'At least she's getting that exercise; she really needed some…'_

* * *

"Arceus, he's such a jerk!" Zo screamed as she sprinted down the path. She saw Ash turn around to look at her, and he began to laugh. "Ugh! That stupid, little, insensitive…idiot!"

She sped up, which was pretty unbelievable considering the pace she'd been going at. Soon, Zo was directly behind the young man, fueled by her endless frustrations toward him. She quickly passed Ash, jeering at him as she ran by.

The boy growled, but otherwise didn't react to the taunts from his friend. _'She's doing that to try to make me angry,'_ he reminded himself. _'If I do anything, I'd just be playing right in her hands…er, paws…? I don't really know…'_

"Dammit, why won't Ash do anything? I know he's mad; why doesn't he show it?!" Zo muttered furiously. "You know what, this is stupid," she decided, and changed into an Unfezant. _"There we go; that's more like it!"_ She took off, wings creating a cloud of dust that circled around her before gently falling to the ground as she flew away.

Ash, behind her, coughed a bit as the dust irritated his throat. "Gah!" he spluttered. "Oh, I've had it, Zo. That was the last straw." He unclipped a Poké Ball from his rarely-used belt and threw it high into the air. Grabbing a branch, he swung onto the Flying-type's back just as Pidgeot materialized.

 _"Hey!"_ she squawked indignantly.

"Sorry, no time. Fly me over to where the others are, quick!"

 _"Jeez, alright! Just—tell me what's going on."_

Ash sighed in exasperation. "Start moving, girl. Oh, and here's my explanation. One word; Zo."

Pidgeot shook her head, seeming disappointed. _"Really? Ash, you couldn't not annoy her for half an hour?"_

"Hey!" Ash complained, hurt. "It wasn't my fault; she ran off and I didn't want her to get hurt, so I followed her. You know, Team Rocket and Plasma seemed to have started up again, and they've been wreaking havoc everywhere. But she turned it into seek-and-tag, so I was running around trying to look for her while Pikachu was sleeping. I know he can take care of himself, but I still worry because…well, I love him, and he's my best friend and closer than a brother to me. So, yeah; anyway, I told her to come out and she did, but then I told her l that she needed exercise and had to catch up to me. I guess she got angry or something—she turned into an Unfezant and flew off. That's when I called you out and jumped onto your back, and here we are."

Pidgeot was silent for a moment. _"So, I assume you want to get back to them before she does? Is there any particular reason?"_

Ash gave her a look. "Uh, yes. Although she can be really frustrating, I worry about her."

Pidgeot let out an amused laugh. _"Do you think that Team Rocket's going to strike? To be honest, I think if she makes use of her telepathy correctly, they'll probably run away screaming and not even try to catch her after she starts talking."_

"Yeah, that's true. And that's why I'm not afraid if they try to take her. I fear for her safety for an entirely different reason."

 _"Oh? And that is…?"_

"A large, fully evolved, Fire/Flying-type dragon who goes by the name of Charizard."

* * *

 _"Nothing like beating Ash of all people at a race."_ An Unfezant landed on the lush grass, flashing a brilliant white before devolving into a fox-like creature. She sighed happily, snickering to herself.

The roar of a frighteningly-familiar Pokémon shattered her brief moment of peace. _"Oh, Arceus, no! Ash never told me he was out of his Poké Ball! No, no, no! Wait, maybe I'll be able to stop him…? After all, I'm a Pokémon, too, just like him!"_

 _"You pesky Dark-type!"_ Off to her side, Zo caught sight of a giant orange lizard with massive wings. She shook in fear, then seemed to steel herself and glare fiercely with a look of pure determination.

Jumping up, she snickered to herself before transforming into a Charizard with two visible lashes for each eye and a small pink bow on her head, slightly above her eyes but not on level with her horns—a mirror image of Charla.

Charizard roared and swooped down to attack the infuriating Zorua, but instead found himself face-to-face with his dragon-friend. _"Charla?"_ he asked, surprised. _"What the hell are you doing here?"_

Zorua wanted to start laughing and scream that he'd fallen for her trap, but she knew better than to give herself away that easily. She turned a hard look to the befuddled Pokémon. _"I told you before that I was coming to visit."_

Charizard raised an eyebrow. _"Actually, I think I would have heard you say something of such great importance. Uh, and…are you okay? You don't sound like yourself. Now that I think about it, you don't sound like the Charla I know."_

Zorua sweatdropped. _"Well, I said it. Maybe you just didn't listen to me. Don't worry about me though, I'm fine. It's just…I'm a little tired from flying over here."_

Charizard snorted. _"You've gotta be kidding me._ You _, tired? Please! You've always had more endurance than me!"_

 _'No one has more endurance than Charizard! He's onto me, I can tell,'_ Zo thought nervously. _"Pfft, you know that's not true, dearie. You know what, I'm just…going to go now…"_

Before she could speed away, the dragonoid flung his arm out and latched onto hers. _"Wait just a moment…Zo."_ He built up a Flame Burst, fire spewing from his mouth as he released it. The Zorua began to gasp as smoke entered her lungs.

Charizard dropped the charred Pokémon on the scorched ground. Ash jumped down from Pidgeot's back and was met with the sight of a small crater in the ground, the grass around it ablaze and spreading. He groaned. "What did I tell you guys?" he asked sternly, looking between the two culprits. Zorua bowed her head, ashamed, while the large lizard-like Pokémon merely snorted in annoyance. Ash raised an eyebrow. "Charizard?"

The Fire/Flying-type sullenly looked at his Trainer before turning away with a huff; in any case, he growled softly—which presumably stood as an apology.

Ash smiled. "There. That wasn't so bad, was it?" His face grew hard as he looked at the dual-typed Pokémon. "Charizard, I don't want you messing with Zorua."

The Tricky Fox Pokémon sniggered.

He chose that moment to turn his harsh glare onto her. "Oh, don't think I've forgotten about you. Zo, you've been causing me problems since the day you joined my team, and I've no doubt in my mind that you did _something_ to invoke his irritation."

Zorua seemed offended. _"What? No! Mister, you're talking crazy! I would never do that!"_

Ash raised an eyebrow, not believing her for a second. "Really, now? But you have done it before in the past, so what makes you think that I'm going to trust you on this? Besides, never is a powerful word."

This time, it was Charizard's turn to mock his fellow Pokémon's predicament as their Trainer scolded her.

Ash sighed, seeing Zo's eyes cast down to the grass. "Guys, please, I'm begging you. Just _try_ to get along, and if either of you have a problem with the other then instead of making it worse by doing things yourself, come to me and tell me what the matter is. Alright?" He looked between the two for confirmation. Zo blinked up at him, a few tears falling to the ground. Ash grimaced at the sight — he hated making someone cry, especially Pokémon — but gave a weak smile at her nod. Charizard needed some convincing, but after Ash tempted him with an offer to race against Pidgeot for the title of Fastest Flyer he begrudgingly consented to the idea of an experimental truce.

"Okay!" Ash clapped his hands together, motioning his third-ever Pokémon to them. Pidgeot gave a strong flap of her wings and dived downwards, only to stop again directly above Ash's head. The sudden wind from her abrupt halt caused the teenager's hat to rise, but the bird snatched it up before it could be blown away. "Thanks, I owe you," Ash said gratefully, taking the red cap from her and placing it back to its original location.

 _"No problem,"_ she replied. _"I overheard you all talking; I guess I'm going to be knocking Charizard out of the skies again and keeping my title as the Fastest Flyer?"_

 _"Don't get too cocky, little birdie,"_ the lizard retorted, relishing in the familiar sense of apprehension and excitement. _"This won't turn out the same way it did last time."_

 _"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."_ Pidgeot waved a wing. _"You always say that, and technically you're right that it doesn't go the same way—but I still_ win _every time,"_ she challenged, a glint in her eye. The dual-type's eyes narrowed dangerously, and a low growl escaped his throat.

"Uh, guys?" Ash asked nervously. Their competitive glares soon refocused from each other to him. "Do you mind doing this in a more…secluded area? I mean, here people pass through to get to towns."

The two Pokémon paused, noting that he had a good point. They looked at each other, no more with the intimidation factor. After all, despite everything, Pidgeot and Charizard had been through a lot and were close friends; Charizard, who had scared most of Ash's Kanto team when he'd evolved, respected Pidgeot — then a Pidgeotto — for she hadn't at all faltered upon seeing him. Instead, that just made her more determined to battle him some day, when she was fully evolved. Pidgeot was, truthfully, the closest friend Charizard had because of that respect.

Simultaneously, they turned and nodded to Ash. _"Yes, that would be the most sensible thing to do,"_ the bird said wisely. _"Charizard, we shall hold off our fight until we find someplace appropriate."_ The large Fire/Flying-type nodded, acknowledging her statement.

"Great!" Ash cheered. "We should probably find the others first, though. It'd be no fun without anybody taking sides."

 _"What about you, and Zo?"_ Charizard rumbled.

"Well, I was thinking Zo could be the referee for this—if she agrees, of course. I, on the other hand, _can't_ choose between two of my Pokémon; it would be completely unfair, especially because I really don't mind who wins. Pidgeot's good at keeping the title, and I think she'd be able to break her own record—but you, Charizard, would also be good at it if you win. I think everyone would welcome a new winner; no offense, Pidgeot."

 _"None taken,"_ she replied earnestly. _"I think everything you said was spot-on; a Tauros's_ _Eye, if you will; and I perfectly agree that it would be very unfair for you to pick a side."_

"Now, Zo, do you want to ref the race?"

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" she asked.

Ash turned and was somewhat surprised to see Zo. It was the same illusion that she had on when she was chasing him, and he was reminded of a very certain someone as she walked around. "Someone tell me that she doesn't look like a mirror image of Misty," he said quietly.

Even the other Pokémon were in a state of shock. Pidgeot couldn't speak, and she had a sudden urge to fly over to the fox and wrap both wings around her shoulders in a hug. Charizard merely stared in surprise. He had no real attachments with the youngest Waterflower, but he had more respect for her for being a Gym Leader. However, he couldn't deny that Zo looked a lot like the scrawny ten-year-old that he knew from way back, except she wasn't so thin and was actually quite attractive.

"Huh? Hey, why aren't you answering me? Ash Ketchum!"

"She even sounds like her," Ash muttered to Pidgeot, who had to stop herself from laughing at the hapless teenager.

"Like who?" Zo overheard his comment, and naturally decided she needed in on whatever he was talking about. "A girl, obviously. Do you like her?"

Ash raised his eyebrow. "Well, she's actually the first friend I made when I was started my journey. Her name is Misty…actually, her full name is Mistaria Kasumi Waterflower. Likewise, she knows my full name."

"Do you like her, though?" Zo pushed.

Ash shrugged. "She's a friend, but you know that. I haven't really dug into my feelings with Misty. I know that she isn't just a friend; she's my best friend, but there's more to it than that. I'm certain that it's not a crush, per se…but I don't know exactly _what_ it is."

Zo hummed thoughtfully, a sly grin slowly forming on her face. Ash sweatdropped. "I don't really like that look," he said. Pidgeot and even Charizard backed away from her.

"I think you love Misty!" she exclaimed excitedly. She expected him to yell out and begin to panic at the thought of loving someone, but his reaction wasn't near close to what she had in mind.

"You know, you might actually be right, Zo." He had a contemplative expression, as though he were considering the idea. Then, he shrugged. "I really don't know. I may have loved her, but hadn't realized it before. I guess I'll find out next time I see her.

"Anyway, I think we should get to the race. Agreed?" The three nodded, and they went back to find the other Pokémon; Charizard and Pidgeot hovered overhead, and Zorua, who had turned back to her original form, hitched a ride on Ash's shoulder. To be completely honest, it wasn't very difficult to locate the others; there was a helpful trail of miniature disasters to lead them back to the rest.

"They really need to be more considerate of their surroundings," Ash said, sighing. He shook his head, disappointed. "At least we know where they are…"

 _"I guess,"_ Pidgeot agreed tentatively. _"At least, anyway."_

 _"That is true."_ Zo snickered, and the two glanced at her. _"What? I'm done. That's all I've got to say."_

"…" Ash stared at her with a blank look on his face before blinking a few times. "I really should've expected that…" he muttered.

 _"Hey!"_ the fox whined. _"You're so mean."_ He snorted at that response, and the two Flying-types failed to hide their amusement. Charizard didn't even try, roaring a great laugh and breathing out fire. Pidgeot's was a lot less showy; she just laughed at the Tricky Fox Pokémon. _"I take that back. You're all mean to me,"_ she pouted, turning away from them.

"Face it, Zo," Ash said, smirking. "We're just being passive aggressive as payback for all of your annoying little pranks."

 _"…sometimes, I really hate that you know so much stuff."_

"Huh?" Ash looked confused. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

Zo sighed. _"Ash. Everything I just said, I take back."_ She snickered, and Pidgeot chuckled a bit as well.

"What? I don't get it…"

They just laughed even harder at that. Even Charizard snorted, amused.

* * *

 **A/N: So, tell me. How'd I do? I'm sorry I don't update much, but I've had a major Writer's Block. I hope this chapter is alright…**

 **Anyway, Happy New Years everybody! I didn't get finished so I couldn't upload anything on Christmas, but oh well. It's January 1st; actually, I've just finished putting this up on the Doc Manager at midnight, so yeah. Well, I'm not wrong.**

 **Is the grammar good? I'm not too worried about the spelling, as long as I don't mess up practically every other word. If I do, then I've got a huge problem.**

 **Please review and give me some feedback. It'd be much appreciated. Thanks for all of your support!**

 **Ledah: You mentioned you were disappointed that Meganium wasn't as affectionate as Bayleef was in the anime. I've got an explanation. As you can see, Ash has become less dense and realized why Bayleef would tackle him so often after being let out of her Poké Ball. She had a crush on him. She evolved and finally Ash had a one-on-one talk with her, and she accepted that he didn't have the same feelings she did so stopped Body Slamming him all the time. They're friendly with each other, but sorta distant now that she's been kinda rejected by Ash. She knew that there wasn't much of a chance, but is still sad about the whole ordeal. They get along well still, but she's kind of…hmm, how should I put this? I guess you could say she's doubting herself. As soon as she finds someone she actually loves, than their relationship will get better. And yes, you could consider that a spoiler but not really…**

 **Ember: Yes, I know that. I've just had a major Writer's Block. I'm telling you, they're evil!**


	3. Chapter 3

_"Yeah! Whoo!"_ Screams and whistles filled the air as two Flying-types raced against each other.

 _"Pidgeot, you can beat him! Knock that overgrown lizard down a peg or two!"_

A teenager sighed as he listened to the insults his beloved partner threw out at his dual-type Pokémon. The mouse was taking it too seriously. "Pikachu," he snapped quietly. "Show some sportsmanship, dammit."

 _"I can't help it,"_ he feebly protested, waving his arms slightly. _"He used to be so rude to me; I just want to get back at him, and he knows he can't hurt me because I can overwhelm him easily."_

Ash groaned. "Well, too bad. I'm not letting you talk bad about Charizard. He's part of our family."

 _"All the more reason to do it,"_ he replied cheekily.

"Do you want me to call everyone over and tell them you've been annoying me?" he threatened.

Pikachu quickly shut up.

* * *

"It was really close this time, you two," Ash praised. "Congrats!"

 _"I can't tell whether you were talking to both of us, or Pidgeot alone,"_ Charizard groused.

"Oh, don't be so down, buddy! It was an amazing race; almost like a battle with the way you were trying to shoot each other out of the sky!" The Fire-type still looked pretty irked, so Ash thought of something that could cheer him up. "Hey, buddy," he said. The dragon looked at him, and a slightly-feral grin crossed Ash's face. "How about I'll let you shoot a Flamethrower at Zorua, then battle with Pikachu? After that, we'll probably be able to get to the stadium with time to spare for training."

The lizard-like creature smirked and nodded.

* * *

 _"What? No, I did not agree to this!"_ Zo struggled as Ash shoved her onto the field.

"Too bad," he replied, without even glancing at her. "Consider this payback."

 _"You are so going to pay for this, Ash!"_ she shouted angrily.

Ash stuffed his hands in his pockets, digging around. "How much do you want?" he asked, with a smirk.

 _"This is priceless!"_ Zo yelled at him, infuriated as she came face-to-face with the menacing beast known as Charizard.

"You got that right!" he called back, chuckling as the dual-type breathed a light shower of flames onto the vixen. When it stopped a second later, she had burn marks on her fur and was growling. Even Pikachu was holding a small yellow paw over his mouth and silently laughing at her misfortune. "You're next," his Trainer reminded him.

* * *

 _"Take that!"_ the Electric-type enthused, sending a sparking tower into the air. Charizard flew around it easily, and then proceeded to enrage the mouse by throwing out insults.

Pikachu growled viciously, before taking a breath to calm himself. He glowed a bit, before beginning to quickly jump up onto tree branches, skipping a few every so often. His tail gained a metallic sheen to it, and electricity naturally transferred from his fur to the Iron Tail. Still using Extreme Speed, he backflipped and landed on another branch. Springing off of it, he launched himself at his opponent and swung.

Charizard felt a stinging pain on his back. He abruptly turned to see the grinning mouse holding onto his wing, with a sparking tail dug into his scales. He roared, and desperately flew around to try to shake the small creature off of him. When that didn't work, he opened his mouth and Pikachu was covered in a sea of fire. He countered that, discharging his known element—electricity—into the Fire/Flying-type. The mouse was in physical contact with Charizard, and that made the Thunderbolt much more effective than it would have been from a distance. To Pikachu's surprise, the Pokémon was hit but spread his wings and took flight once more.

He finally collapsed when he landed safely on the ground. Panting, Charizard growled lowly and nodded to Pikachu, who had yet to jump from his back. The small Electric-type smiled, and rubbed the back of his head modestly. _"That was an amazing battle, Charizard. I actually thought you were going to win."_

"Hey, that was great, you two! Almost as good as the race," Ash teased, walking over with Zo behind him. They were both smiling.

 _"Thanks, I guess,"_ Pikachu said, bounding over to the human and leaping onto his shoulder before nuzzling him with his cheek.

Ash laughed. "Stop, that tickles!" he complained, though there wasn't any true annoyance in his voice.

Zo and Charizard watched, both with a smile. Suddenly, the Dark-type turned to the dragon. _"You did good, big guy."_

For her efforts, she earned another—weakened—Flamethrower to the face.

* * *

"Well," Ash said, checking his watch, "it seems like we should leave now. How about that lift?"

Everybody out at that moment looked directly at Charizard, who snorted. _"Fine,"_ he grumbled. _"Only because I promised you I'd take you."_

Ash grinned. "Thanks, bud!"

 _"I would say 'It's no problem' but that would be lying, so . . ."_

* * *

They landed in a clearing a bit away from the stadium, and the teenager swung down from the large dragon. "Thanks again, Charizard. Do you need a rest?"

 _"It would be nice after that flight, yeah,"_ he groused. _"You and Pikachu weigh more than you think, you know . . ."_

Ash rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Return." He held up a red and white sphere, and the Fire/Flying-type was sucked in. "Well, I guess we'll have to walk," he concluded, putting his arms behind his head in a relaxed manner and beginning to stroll down the grassy path.

"Wait!" Pikachu shouted, gaining the boy's attention. _"I think that's a Rocket!"_

"Huh?" True to his word, the mouse had spotted a man sporting a black uniform with the trademark blood-red R on the shirt. He seemed to be mugging another Trainer's Pokémon.

"Oh, no you don't!" Flinging his arm into the air for emphasis, Ash ordered a Thunderbolt. The Electric-typed energy hit the ground between the two, and the Rocket Grunt immediately fled the scene.

He threw the Poké Ball, and a blue-maned Rapidash materialized in front of him with a neigh. Ash mounted the mare, and pointed her in the direction the man had gone. "We're going to play Follow the Rocket," he said with a smirk.

 _"Games are Zo's forte, not mine,"_ she replied, but nevertheless complied. She set off at a trot, picking up speed from gallop to canter.

"Great job, we're catching up to him!" Ash called. She whinnied back as a sign of acknowledgement, and increased her speed two-fold.

* * *

She bolted in directly after a man in an all-black outfit ran through, and people stared in awe as she whizzed by in a blur of cream and blue. One group looked intently at the teenager riding her back, each having the same thought. _Who the hell is that guy? He seems familiar . . ._

The tallest girl shared a pointed look with a tall, tanned man. "Brock," she whispered, catching the attention of everyone. "Do you think . . ." She trailed off, and the group turned to the former Pewter City Gym Leader.

He put a hand on his chin, obviously in thought. "I'm not sure Misty, but I'd say more than likely. I mean, no one else would ever _willingly_ choose to go after a member of Team Rocket, especially one with a gun."

Everyone else was getting irritated at being left out. "Who is it, Brock?" a brunet pushed, his curiosity raging out of control.

"Ash," Misty answered.

There was a collective eyeroll. "As much as I hate to admit it, he's dead, Misty," Gary said, a grim expression on his face.

"Yeah," May piped in, but she seemed unnaturally depressed. "I'm not really sure what to believe anymore, but I think that if he really was okay then he would've at least come to visit us . . ."

Misty's smile fell a bit, but came back with even more confidence than before. "Well, Brock thinks he's still alive."

Everyone looked at him, and he nodded in confirmation. "Yes. If he's alive, I think there's a reason why he wouldn't come to see us. Remember what happened that made him disappear? Delia, she was his mother, and . . . well, you know. But if I had been in that situation, with the only blood relative I knew for sure was alive and healthy being killed _right in front of me_ , then I would have tried to leave you guys for your own safety and to train myself and my Pokémon just in case it happened again."

There was a glimmer of hope in everyone's eyes as they heard him. "Besides," Misty chimed. "That's not the only thing strange."

"For real?" Gary asked, befuddled.

"Mhmm." Misty nodded happily. "Brock called me up a day or two ago and told me he'd noticed something that day . . . and had finally decided to ask about it."

"And what was that?" Max said, pushing his glasses up as he turned to look at Brock. Everyone else stared at him expectantly as well.

"Well, I remember that when we held that sudden funeral for Delia and Ash, Professor Oak said that his Pokémon were going to be given away to other competent Trainers. But I'd looked over to the ranch a few hours before and saw that Ash's Pokémon weren't there, or in the lab. I knew something had happened right after he'd said that.

"So, I went and asked my dad about it a couple days ago, and he was pretty startled by the question. Told me that his Pokémon had already found some Trainers to care for them. I called Misty up and asked if I could speak to her sisters. I asked them the same thing, and they told me they'd been shipped off somewhere. I realized something: they'd given different answers. I thanked them, and spoke to Misty about it. We think our families had something to do with it. After all, I remember that they'd wanted to speak to Ash and a few hours later, there wasn't a trace he'd been here at all."

Everyone was shocked at this. "Wait a minute, you really think our families had something to do with this?" Dawn exclaimed.

Brock nodded, his face serious. "Unfortunately, I do. I don't really know why, and I've no true evidence to prove it other than the fact that they'd given different answers—and then again, that could've just been what they thought happened. So, it's only a theory, but–"

"I don't care! I can't believe that you'd actually think that! That just shows how likely it is!" Gary was furious. "How dare they think that it would be okay to take our best friend—my best friend—away!" His knees suddenly felt weak, and he fell to the ground. "Why?" he whispered; his hands were balled into fists and were shaking. "He knew that I was planning on traveling with him on his next journey . . . He knew Ash was my best friend . . . He knew it would hurt me, and he still did it!" Tears were dropping onto his jeans, but Gary didn't even notice. "The worst thing is that I signed up the participants, but I didn't see him . . ."

"Gary . . ." No one had ever seen the young Professor so broken. They didn't know what to do.

"Instead of standing around like this, we should try to find him! I think he went this way!" Misty declared. The others followed her as she sprinted away, Iris weaving her way through the trees as naturally as running on solid ground, easily keeping pace with everyone else.

* * *

"I've got you!" Ash called. "Now give them back!"

"Didn't I tell you already? No!" the Grunt shouted.

Ash sighed. He put on a tattered dark-brown cloak and flung himself at the man. At the same time, he summoned a lavender feline to aid him. The Pokémon had a red gem on her forehead, and it was gleaming in the sunlight. Power radiated out from her, and she walked with a grace and poise unattainable by many, even of her species. Her split tail flicked just slightly in very well concealed agitation. She leapt into the nearest tree without even the smallest hesitation, out of sight by the Rocket and many other people.

The agent grabbed the pistol that was slung loosely on his hip, and aimed it threateningly at Ash. "Don't attack, or I'll shoot," he warned, though his voice trembled a bit.

The raven-haired Trainer shook his head in sorrow. "You could have done better—you know that, right?"

The man flinched.

"I'm sorry," Ash finally said. He meant every word.

First he charged up an Aura Sphere. The Grunt was shocked enough that he didn't even react to the danger. When the man finally realized what was happening, the gun had already flown from his grasp.

He tried to leg it, but was physically kept from moving.

* * *

They ended up at a large clearing, watching a fight taking place from the cover of the greenery.

Ash knocked the gun out of the man's hands with a hastily-charged Aura Sphere, and the agent was just about to flee when a bright magenta glow surrounded him and froze him in place. Ash glanced at the tree above him. "Thanks a lot, Es."

 _"You are very welcome,"_ the Psychic-type eeveelution replied.

Ash smiled, and shook his head with a grin. "Now," he began with a cold voice, glaring at the Rocket Grunt, "give me those Poké Balls."

He returned the look, struggling to speak. "Never!"

Ash sighed. "I didn't want to do this, but I guess I've got no choice." He held his hands together and slowly pulled them apart, soon firmly gripping an Aura Staff.

"Alright! Here, take them! Just spare me!" the man screamed.

Ash approached warily, never letting the staff leave his hand until the bag was in his grasp and he was far away from him. "Rocket scum," he muttered, stepping away and waving a hand towards the trees. The man was dropped, and he scrambled away in fear.

Ash smiled, and rummaged through the bag's contents. At the bottom was a Master Ball. He decided to leave it however, and stowed it away in his pocket before picking up the bag and weighing how heavy it was.

His friends each drew in a sharp breath, and Gary's eyes widened in shock. "That's Red," he muttered to himself, his brain furiously trying to work out the missing pieces.

Apparently Misty had the same mindtrack as he did. "Hmm, Red should have come to you to register for the tournament . . . It makes sense how he was chosen, being that he was good enough to take out everyone in the criminal organizations, and become the Kanto Champion . . . but he was a fairly recent Trainer who kind of showed up out of nowhere. Mysterious, isn't it? Exactly the type of person we assume Ash is now after everything he's been through, because we now have reason to believe he's still out there," she whispered to the group.

They watched intently as the fairly young teenager pulled down his hood, and tensed up as he looked in their direction. "I know you're there," he called out. They started at his blunt statement. "Yes, I can tell where you are, and I also know that you were watching me kick that Rocket's sorry ass." They finally caught sight of a clump of messy raven hair and surprisingly warm chocolate eyes peering at them. "And yes, I heard what you were saying about me."

At about that point, he glanced over his shoulder and made a hand gesture. A recognizable yellow mouse ran through the bushes and bounded up to his right shoulder. He chittered happily, and waved at the group. They hesitantly raised their hands slowly and returned it.

Finally, the boy raised his head and looked directly at them, meeting their eyes with a fixed gaze. "It's great to see you all intact after all of these years."

After they recovered from their shock of him practically admitting that he was, in fact, the one that the majority of the group had thought dead, they just stared at him. Max had tears in his eyes, a mix of both sadness and joy that his friend and mentor left them but came back. The girls were similar, while the older boys didn't move.

Misty sprinted towards him, and Ash felt slender arms wrap around his torso. He flinched, a bit startled by the sudden action. The orangette pulled away, believing it was her. "I'm sorry, Ash," she mumbled, her cheeks glowing a faint pink. "I've just missed you. You mean the world to me." Her whole face was a light shade of red by the time she finished speaking.

"No, Misty, it's completely fine. I was just expecting to get pummeled into the ground; being hugged was a shock, because I didn't think you would actually do something like that," he murmured back, as quiet as she had been.

"Ash . . ." Tears streamed down her face, and she hastily wiped them away before burying her head in his shoulder.

"Misty . . . You know what, I'll let you hit me with your mallet as many times as you want—to make up for everything I did to you."

The girl finally looked up at his face, memorizing his soft and comforting smile before shaking her head with one of her own. "I can't," she replied. At his confused look, she elaborated. "It's only fun if you don't want it. But you requested it from me, so even though you deserve it I'm not going to let it happen."

"Pikachu, she's worse than Zo," the boy grumbled to the Mouse Pokémon still hoarding one shoulder.

He smirked at him, then turned away with his arms crossed. _"Too bad. Deal with it yourself,"_ he said.

"Wow, what a friend you are," Ash replied sarcastically. Pikachu just poked his tongue out.

"Wait a minute here, who's worse than me?" A girl dashed out of the forest, in her first disguise from earlier that day.

Ash rolled his eyes while Misty looked up in confusion. "Please, Zo, can we do this later? I don't have time to play with you."

"Jeez, you're so mean," she pouted, crossing her arms. "Can't play with an eight-year-old girl, Ash Ketchum. What, are you afraid you're going to lose or something?"

"Zo, really. Do you not see these people right in front of me?" Ash asked in an irritated tone.

"Huh?" Her eyes snapped over to the group in front of her Trainer, and they glinted. "Oh, are these your friends that you pretty much deserted and never contacted? That's nice, maybe one of you will play with me!"

The teenager let out an audible sigh. "First of all, you know that I didn't want to do it; second, you've seen some of them before. You're such an idiot . . ."

"Wait . . ." She eyed each one of them closely, until her blue orbs came to rest on two in particular. "Oh, wow! Dawn and Brock! It's been forever, I didn't even recognize you! How are you two?"

The raven-haired boy rolled his eyes as the group stared at the suddenly-hyper girl. "Um, Ash," Dawn said, quietly. "Sorry, but have we met before somewhere?"

"Guys, meet Zo," Ash said rather loudly, talking over the said female. "And to answer your question, you two have met once before. She's using telepathy to talk to you right now."

Zo snickered. "Mhmm," she hummed in agreement. Then, to most people's shock, a red and black vortex appeared around her. When it disappeared, in her place was no longer a childish eight-year-old but rather a girl who looked suspiciously like Dawn. The only difference was a small fox-like tail.

Dawn was utterly speechless. The display had rendered her unable to talk for the moment, but she was overcome with emotions. The first was shock and disbelief, but that soon turned into full-on anger. " _Zorua_!" she screeched. "I told you a million times! _Never_! Give! Me! A! _Tail_!"

Lack of even the chirping of Pidgey in the trees only punctuated how loud her voice was. Ash was the only one standing there unfazed; everyone else had their hands over their ears and their faces told him that they would have shouted Bloody Murder if that wouldn't have just added to the frightening amount of noise coming from the area.

Rolling his eyes, he bit back a snarky comment. Those were his friends, and he didn't want to give them a bad first impression on how much he'd changed over the years.

"Dawn!" Brock attempted, shouting over her rant—which was a rather loud yell in a shrill falsetto. "Could you please save this for later? I swear on Arceus himself, you're going to make everyone here go deaf!"

Misty still clung to the teenager's shoulder, but her grip was loosening. The scream hadn't seemed to have affected her; it was completely different for everyone else though, bar Ash. The boy himself shifted a bit as Misty seemed to not plan on letting him go anytime in the near future. However, he continued to stay as he had been, not bothering to even make an effort on covering his ears.

When the young teenager failed to stop shrieking, the raven-haired Champion sighed and gently pulled himself away from the orangette. He walked over to Dawn and laid a hand on her shoulder, startling her enough to close her mouth. "I think everyone's had enough," he murmured, glancing at the others with their hands over their ears.

She did as well, and began to giggle despite herself. "Guys," she said, laughing, "you look hilarious!"

They finally tore their limbs from their head, and blushed once they heard her voice. "Well, if you hadn't starting yelling in the first place . . . !" May glared at her fellow Coordinator.

"You should all just be thankful that she stopped," Ash noted, crossing his arms.

Brock nodded, smiling slightly. "You're right. Thanks for that, Ash." He walked over and pulled the younger into a hug.

He smiled widely, glad to know that he was accepted by his older-brother-figure. The others smiled back at him, and joined the two.

Misty somehow edged her way to Ash again, and nuzzled her head into his shoulder. The boy's heart fluttered, and he realized that he did love Misty—much more than a friend. He decided to talk to Brock about his feelings later.

"Hey, everyone. I want you to know something." His statement brought attention to him once more. "So, I have to tell you that I won't be competing as Ash, but Red. You have to call me Red in public. In private, though, you can call me whatever you want. Do you all understand?"

Misty frowned. "I get what you want, but why? Is it for privacy—that you don't want anyone knowing who you actually are?"

Ash shrugged. "Kind of," he hedged. "I'll just explain why; you'll get what I'm saying then. Well, you all know how I, as Red, took down criminal organizations?" They nodded. "There's actually one left, in Kalos—plus, I'm pretty sure Rocket and Plasma are gaining strength. The Gym Leaders, Elite Fours, and Champions are doing all they can to stop the three, with the help of other volunteering Trainers.

"The teams are getting stronger day by day, and I don't want them to get hold of my actual identity, because that will just make it easier for them to stop me. As far as they know, their enemy is the Kanto Champion, Red—a loner, very strong and talented, and also enigmatic.

"I'm not going to deny those statements, but I'm also not one to boost my ego with them. Anyway, if they realize that Red is actually an alias and find out who he really is, they can do a lot more damage. Not just to me, but many people. Finding out my other weaknesses—I'm fairly certain they've already figured out that my Pokémon are one, but they can't target them because of their strength—would be bad.

"I, Ash Ketchum, love my friends and family, and I'd do anything for them. If they know that, they'd start focusing on other people, mainly you all. I can't let that happen, so I'm trying to hide behind an alias. Other people can know who I am; I'm not going to start acting like an all-private guy who hates everybody. I just don't want it to get out to the media, because the media is crap and doesn't respect _anything_ , much less privacy."

Max nodded. "That does make more sense now, and I can see where you're going."

Misty smiled. "Thanks for that explanation; it's definitely easier to understand."

Ash grinned. "Again, I don't care if people know—if they're trustworthy, of course." He gave a knowing glance to May and Dawn. "Drew and Paul can know who I am."

They turned a bright scarlet, and Brock raised an eyebrow.

Ash smirked. "We should get going, right? After all, we've got a tournament to get to and register for."

"Who are you, and what have you done to Ash Ketchum?" Misty joked. "The Ash I know wouldn't be so calm about participating in a worldwide tournament such as this one."

The boy laughed. "Relax, Misty. I'm still the same person you know and love." He winked at her in what was supposed to be a teasing way, but her face turned a deep scarlet.

The other girls giggled at their hapless friend, while Ash fell behind and glanced at Brock. "Do you have any idea what that was about? I mean, I'm not as naïve as I used to be, but I still don't understand a lot of things dealing with girls . . ."

Brock sighed, and patted the boy on his back. "Such a poor lad," he muttered—seemingly to himself, but Ash could never be entirely sure with the older boy. "You'll get it one day, Ash. I promise you."

That statement merely served to confuse the raven-haired teenager more than he already was.

* * *

"Nurse Joy! Do you mind if we sign up for the tournament?" Max asked with a smile.

The woman gave a beautiful one back. "No, not at all. Please, may I have your Pokédexes for a few seconds?"

The group duly handed theirs over, though Ash was slightly hesitant upon doing so. "Nurse, when you read my name, please do not overreact. I don't wish to attract unnecessary attention."

"Ash, why don't you just use Red's Pokédex?" Dawn whispered.

He grinned. "I'll tell you that someplace more private, if you're all interested."

The pinkette running the station stifled a gasp. "Oh, my. I am very surprised, that is for certain. Ash, welcome back to another tournament."

The Kanto Champion smiled. "Thank you, for the warm welcome and for not making such a big deal out of this. I owe you my thanks."

She blushed a little. "Please. I am grateful for the kind words, but remember that I'm only doing my job."

"Well, that's fair enough." With that, the group walked out.

* * *

"So, tell me!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly.

Ash, surprised by her outburst, glanced at her. "What?"

The Coordinator sighed. "You're hopeless. You know, about the Pokédex thing!" she said.

"Wait a minute, what now?" Misty inquired.

The raven-haired boy grinned. "Dawn asked me in the Pokémon Center why I didn't just register with Red's Pokédex, rather than Ash's. I said that I'd tell you all if you were interested, and I don't go back on my word if I can keep it."

"You know, I'd like to hear about that, actually. Even if I'm not much of a battler myself, I know the importance of Pokédexes and I like knowing what you've been up to since you left." May smiled.

Misty nodded. "Fair point," she agreed. ". . . Oh, who am I kidding? I love hearing about everything you were doing, Ash, and I'm also really curious!"

"Same," Brock added.

Max smirked. "If May's gotten interested in anything that has to do with battles, then count me in!"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" the brunette growled.

". . . Nothing. Never mind," Max amended.

Gary grinned, the same expression that Ash had on his face. "I'd like to know as well, if you don't mind."

Ash glanced at the people there. "Iris? Cilan?"

They nodded their heads in silent affirmation.

"Alright, then. I suppose I should begin?" Ash took a quiet breath, and began to speak. "It was cold. I can remember that clearly. To be honest, I thought I was going to freeze to death. Luckily, I had Quilava—now a Typhlosion—and Infernape to warm me up. I cuddled into them and Pikachu, who even to this very day still refuses to get into a Poké Ball. Anyway, we found shelter in an icy cave that night, so that was where we slept.

"The next morning, we awoke as usual and began to train. I had actually created my own Pokédex so that I wouldn't have to reveal myself to the Professor of the region—no offense, Gary."

"None taken, Ashy-boy."

Ash scowled at the nickname, but that soon evanesced. "Well, because my own Pokédex had to be registered as one without any Badges stored on them, I wasn't qualified upon the legal terms to enter the Indigo League. But I still got in, not by default, but because I had been battling a Rocket Admin. Some Champion or Elite Four member—who knows? Maybe it was both; Hell, I don't keep track of these things—saw my skills and absolutely insisted I compete. So, that's how I ended up as Kanto's Mysterious Champion."

"Wow, that's quite a tale," Misty pronounced.

Ash shrugged. "Given everything I've been in with you all, it's not all that special."

Dawn sighed wistfully. "Yeah. I remember those days. Meeting you, having those fun times together, saving the world—several times, might I add . . ."

"It _was_ great," he agreed easily. "If I had the choice of never doing all of that or doing it again, I'd choose the latter for sure."

"Same!" all of his former traveling companions chorused simultaneously.

Gary made a face, to which he was promptly laughed at. "No fair," he whined, very childishly at that. "Was I the only one who didn't meet any Legendaries? And I could've done some research, too . . ."

"Aw, is Gare-bear jealous?" Ash teased, poking him in the arm.

"Shut up, Ashy-boy," he groused. "I may have had a chance on making history here!"

Ash smirked. "Sucks to be you, then." He suddenly frowned, his expression becoming one of seriousness. "Gary, Pokémon—and, if anything, _especially_ Legendaries—aren't Lab Rattatas, and therefore shouldn't be treated as such."

"Yeah, alright. I see your point," he relented.

"Good. Now, the tournament starts tomorrow and I want to be ready. Remember, call me Red in public. Okay?"

They nodded, each flashing a smile or grin. "Yes, we know already," Misty told him. "Get out there, hotshot!"

"Understood, Ma'am." Ash saluted mockingly, earning him some laughter.

"Ash? Which Pokémon are you going to be using during these first few rounds?" Max asked.

He smiled deviously, causing an involuntary shiver to run down the group's spines. "Why would I tell you that? Even though you're my closest friends, and always will be, I assure you that I'm competing for real. And I won't give away anything that would allow people to plan ahead for a battle."

The younger Trainer shook his head. "I don't really know what I expected when you revealed yourself to us, but I know that I didn't think you'd be acting like this. Whatever you did for all those years must've messed with your brain for the better."

Ash didn't know whether to smile and thank him for the compliment, or feel insulted at the lack of maturity Max had thought he still had.

So he settled for both.

"Thanks, I guess. I mean, you _could_ have said it nicer, but it's still a genuine commendation."

Max blushed in embarrassment as he realized that what he had said might've come across as a gibe. "S-sorry, Ash," he stuttered, with a sheepish chuckle.

It didn't help when May started reprimanding him, because at that point Ash burst out laughing. "Relax, you two. I don't actually mean it—I was only kidding. But all joking aside, thanks a lot Max. For the compliment, and the apology."

Max smiled, more authentic that time. "You're welcome!"

Ash grinned. He definitely missed being around his friends and the grand memories that they always forge together.

As the group began to venture out of the forest, the raven-haired Trainer hung back. "It's been a long while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. I've really missed this."

"So have I, Pikachu. So have I."

* * *

 **A/N: Alright. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I'm actually working on chapter four of this, and I doubt I'm going to be finished with it anytime soon.**

 **Anyway, yeah. I'm back, and I hope to be adding in more chapters faster in the future.**

 **So, this chapter, Ash met up with his friends. He registered officially for the tournament, scared off a Rocket, and has confirmation that he indeed loves Misty.**

 **There was also some backstory, a race, a few battles, and a Shiny Rapidash.**

 **More to be revealed about Ash's new Pokémon—and his friends' Pokémon and their retelling of what they've accomplished during the years Ash left—soon in the chapters to come.**

 **Oh, and quick thanks to write n wrong, Ledah, Sparkimus, sortofbored, and my dear friend EmberSkies for reviewing!**

 **They are always—should I repeat that? Always—welcome, even one-word reviews.**

 **I don't care much for flames or trolls, but if you genuinely don't like the story or a part of it please private message me or leave a review stating what it is you don't like, and ideas for what I can do to make it better would also be appreciated.**

 **I try to make my works as good as possible for my readers to enjoy. After all, what's the point of a story if there's nobody to read it because everyone dislikes it?**

 **. . . There really isn't one.**

 **Anyway . . . Next chapter, the tournament officially starts! I hope my battle scenes aren't terrible; I'm not good to begin with at writing fights, but hopefully you'll put up with them . . .**

 **Thank you for all of the support I'm getting, and I hope you look forward to the chapters to come!**

 **By the way, This story was originally PokéShipping, and so that meant that Ash was going to be meeting up with the group _sometime_ in here. Hopefully nobody feels as though it's too early, but I figured it would give me a lot more to work with. Besides, it was also important to keep the story moving, and the fact that one of its genres is _Friendship_ . . .**

 **I don't know. I thought it fitting, but maybe it's just me.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just a head's up; I get into sort-of technical stuff . . . I didn't do research on this or anything, and I was merely trying to find a suitable explanation for this kind of thing. So I came up with this. It's just a general idea on how weather-inducing moves, such as Rain Dance, work.**

 **It might be confusing; to be completely honest, I can barely comprehend anything that I wrote. I only had a general idea of this when I started writing it out, and then it just transformed into what is here now. At first, I just stared at what I wrote, thinking,** _ **What the crap is this?**_ **But then I realized that it may actually work as an explanation . . . Not too sure about it, though.**

 **Again, I didn't look any of this up beforehand and I have absolutely no knowledge on how moves work. On GameFAQs, I actually found this: "Never associate logic with Pokémon." So, while this may not be** _ **logical**_ **according to regular standards, it is in the Pokémon world. There's my excuse. Deal with it.**

* * *

"The first round of the elimination battles shall begin! With five-hundred-twelve contestants participating in this world-renowned competition, the preliminary matches are sure to be incredible as the challengers face off against one another for their place further in the tournament! As everyone is aware, there may only be one winner! However, as far as the League is concerned, everybody taking part here has already proved themselves, going far beyond their expectations! May the strongest Trainer be gifted with victory!"

The applause was deafening. Cheers rang out, whistles sounded from various places in the swarms of people. Arms became tangled as many began waving their hands wildly in the air. There was the occasional foot caught up in the mass of limbs every so often as well.

A certain raven-haired teenager chuckled wryly at the last statement that the announcer had made. _That certainly is very ironic . . . Being gifted with victory . . ._

As he thought, he saw an oddly familiar brunet to his left walk away from everyone. He raised an eyebrow, hearing muttering from the teenager, but shrugged.

"You're up, Mist," the boy said, throwing a side glance to the young redhead.

She smiled slightly at the nickname, and nodded her acknowledgement. "You certainly don't miss a beat," she replied, her viridian eyes locking onto his chocolate-brown ones. "Anything else you'll surprise me with, telling me?"

He blinked at her, before letting a soft smile cross his face.

As she gazed at him, Misty felt warmer—not temperature-wise, but rather inside of her. She clutched her chest, not even noticing that her hand was directly over her heart. She somehow knew that it was where the feeling originated from, and she never wanted it to leave. She liked the warmth; she felt so free, and yet protected at the same time. She felt _safe_ , _happy_.

"I also know that your opponent is a particular someone named Prima. Or, at least, that's an alias." His voice cut through her, and she instantly lost connection to the positive emotions that were flooding her entire body.

However, once she registered his words, Misty couldn't help but gape at him. "You're lying. It's too early for her to be in here! And besides, I can't face her! I'll be a goner for sure!"

Ash broke into his trademark grin. "No, you won't. Trust me, you are going to win this. I'm not kidding, either. I am the Kanto Champion, so I'm part of the people who get all of the information on the schedule. She apparently claimed that she wanted to challenge you herself, for she believed that you were one of the few people who could defeat her as you are now. She managed to make it so that she was going to be battling you in the first round. Call it a predestined match, if you will."

"I don't– I can't– You . . ." She trailed off. "You mean she set this up because she thinks I'm strong enough to beat her?" Her tone was one of incredulity.

He nodded. "Yes. She said that, and you should have more faith in yourself. After all, with the attitude and mindset that you have now, you won't ever beat her—even if you tried. You need confidence in yourself, Misty. _She_ has confidence in you. _You_ need to have confidence in you."

Inspired by his words, the redhead nodded resolutely. "Yeah. I know," she said, softly. ". . . Hey, Ash?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks for that."

". . . No problem, Mist."

* * *

"This is a one-on-one battle between Lorelei Neve and Misty Waterflower! Trainers, are you ready?" The two nodded, their faces both set in a determined expression. They exchanged grins to one another, hand hovering over a Poké Ball. "Then begin!"

At the referee's call, the females simultaneously grabbed the spheres and threw them into the air with practiced precision. They expertly caught the Poké Balls with one hand as gravity finally kicked in and they came soaring back, and swiftly clipped them onto their belts once more. In a flash of bright, almost mystic, light, the two Pokémon were revealed to everyone.

On Misty's side, a Floatzel was down on all fours in an offensive stance. The Water-type sent a confident smile toward her Trainer, who smirked back. "Let's do this, Lyn!" she cried enthusiastically. The sea weasel gave a shout of acclamation.

Her opponent adjusted her glasses and looked down at the battlefield. Stood in front of her was a Jynx. "You may go first. Shall we start?" Lorelei called over.

"Alright, thanks!" the younger replied. She idly wondered why the Elite Four member offered her the chance to make the beginning move, but she tried to use it to her advantage. "Aqua Agility and Rain Dance!"

Aqua Agility was a combination she had developed, knowing that Ash had used attacks similar to them at times. She had decided to try one for herself, and it was simple but fun to create and teach to her Pokémon. They were more than willing to try it out in their matches, and although executing it wasn't especially difficult it nevertheless proved very useful.

The idea was to increase one's speed using Agility, and then form a protective and healing layer of Aqua Ring; hence, Aqua Agility. Add on top of that Rain Dance with a Floatzel or another with Swift Swim, and a defensive manoeuvre had already been set into play.

Misty's opponent raised a curious eyebrow. "Interesting," she murmured. "May as well use this rain. Role Play!"

Jynx instantly complied, turning around to give a nod in acknowledgement of the order. A faint but distinct red color outlined her body for awhile, before it suddenly flared and surrounded her whole being. Then it just as abruptly broke off, and the Human Shape Pokémon was faster—not as speedy as Lyn, but definitely more so than she had been. "Now, Meditate, Nasty Plot, Calm Mind, Light Screen, and Reflect!"

Misty couldn't help but gasp in surprise as the moves were used in rapid succession. Her Pokémon, however, was quick to react to the threat, and blurred into a Quick Attack.

Seeing as how her beloved Water-type was once again acting without order, Misty sighed. She knew for a fact that whatever Lyn was planning was sure to help in some way, so she didn't try to intervene. Though, as the sea weasel neared the Ice/Psychic-type and their better defenses, she considered the idea. But by that point, it was too late to change the Pokémon's course or mindset.

Misty watched intently as Lyn drew nearer to her opponent. At the last moment, she raised a light-golden furred arm. It flashed into a gleaming white, which was then used to shatter the barriers protecting Jynx from harm. "Brick Break," Misty breathed, surprised at the sudden variation. "Way to go, Lyn!" she cheered.

The Floatzel turned back to her, a proud grin on her face. She lifted a paw, and gave a wink. Her Trainer laughed happily.

"Congratulations, Misty. I'm impressed she managed to learn Brick Break so easily. I would say that I'd up my game if I wasn't already playing at my best," Lorelei complimented.

She smiled. "Thanks . . . _Prima_ ," she joked. "But, really, thanks. I . . . I don't really know what else to say right now, knowing that an Elite Four member is commending me." She paused. ". . . You should really congratulate Lyn."

Her opponent smiled serenely. "Alright. Congratulations to you as well," she called over the field.

The Sea Weasel Pokémon merely nodded, still with the grin plastered on her face.

"Now, should we continue?"

Lorelei nodded firmly. "Just because you've proven yourself to me doesn't mean that I'll give up! In fact, it makes me want to challenge you more! Jynx, Ice Beam!"

The redhead smirked. "I thought she knew that move, but I wasn't sure . . . Anyway, Lyn, you know _exactly_ what to do in this situation!"

The Pokémon's eyes widened, before they gained an elated glint. She summoned a stream of swirling water which encased her whole body, and then launched toward the attack without hesitation. The water froze over, becoming a large block of ice with Lyn inside. It slowed a bit as the weight increased substantially, but was close enough to its target that instead of stopping completely on the other side of the field the Ice Aqua Jet rammed into the dual-type with a large amount of force.

* * *

Ash shared a surprised glance with Pikachu, before staring at the others—all of whom had matching grins on their faces. "Okay," he stated, catching their attention. "You seriously have a lot to tell me about. What happened?"

"Misty watched your battles, you know. She wasn't ignorant on the combination attacks you used—and she _may_ have had some of her best friends show her spars during training that they secretly recorded . . ." Dawn revealed.

Ash met her eyes with a half-lidded gaze. ". . . You mean to tell me that you taped . . ." He trailed off, looking at the girl incredulously. Pikachu was bemused as well, figuring that he would have taken notice on something so important; even when he wasn't as serious about training as he was presently, it was still vital to any self-respecting Pokémon.

Training was such a major part of their lives that it wouldn't be _wrong_ to say that practically everything revolved around it. After all, it was a form of exercise, which was needed to maintain stable health; the key to gaining strength; perfecting their usage of a move—whether it was for enhancing beauty, the speed of which a long-ranged attack was fired, the accuracy—and the power it held; and a way to have fun while learning new things. Training could also be considered the only way for survival, as well—but that concept only applied to wild ones.

Dawn's cheerful voice broke him out of his musings. "Yep!" she said, smiling slyly.

Ash shook his head, with a sigh. ". . . I really have nothing to say to that," he muttered.

* * *

Lyn jumped back with a fluid grace as the ice shattered, returning to her respective side of the field. The ice, now closely resembling shards of glass, was on the floor in a broad connecting shape around Jynx. Some were scattered more to the right side while many small crystals were nowhere near the tight space that the humanoid Pokémon occupied, several of those as far away as the Floatzel herself was.

The rain, steady and ongoing up to this moment but surprisingly easily ignored, lessened. It changed only slightly, so small was it that only a few with specially trained senses could notice it.

Misty realized that the weather was going back to normal, as did Ash and Pikachu. The mouse, for one, had already knew it the same way his Trainer did—by studying the patterns. It was easy to tell when a move affecting the weather would cancel out if one knew how.

The other way was through the static in the air and storm clouds. Although the _weather_ was created artificially through a weather-inducing move, there was always a natural factor in them. In the case of Rain Dance, they were the clouds. Storm clouds related to lightning and electricity; Pikachu was able to read the discharged electricity in the clouds, and understand when the effects would subside.

 _I can't risk using Rain Dance again, because Jynx's speed will increase once more._ A smirk appeared on Misty's face. _I_ do _know what will work, though._

"Jynx, use Lucky Chant!"

The Ice/Psychic-type began to mutter, and it soon became clear that it was some sort of mantra. It was spoken louder every time, until she was shouting the words. After the eighth round, the opposing Floatzel glowed a _bright_ white color before it faded.

"Great! Now, hit her with Energy Ball!"

Misty's eyes snapped to the field in an instant, having drifted from it after her Pokémon almost blinded her. "Lyn, take it, then Bulk Up and return the favor with Power-Up Punch!"

As the bright-green orb sped across the arena, debris flying up as it passed due to the sheer speed, the Water-type duly stood there unyieldingly. The super-effective attack slammed into the sea weasel—or it seemed to, as there was a rush of dirt that swirled around the area and hid Lyn from sight.

After a prolonged moment, the dust settled and the Floatzel's condition was visible.

Cheers erupted everywhere, in unison. Misty grinned as pure relief coursed through her body.

Lyn stood on her hind legs defiantly, her split tails having gained a metallic sheen to them as they shimmered a distinct green. She had absorbed the Energy Ball, ingeniously increasing the power of her Iron Tail.

She then glowed a dark-red, almost maroon, color, and nimbly leapt towards her opponent with her right paw encased in Fighting-type energy. A small ring of her element surrounded her, reflecting the sunlight that had—by now—broken through the once-dark storm clouds. It healed her physical injuries, allowing the Pokémon to run easier than she had been. However, the Aqua Ring did not restore the energy she had exerted during the battle.

Jynx was a lot worse off than her, though. Battered with attacks, she appeared as though she could use a long rest in her Poké Ball. As Lyn charged, she attempted to move away from her—but failed excessively, exhausted by the effort she had put into the match already. The Power-Up Punch struck her on the arm, and the Floatzel was surrounded by a maroon aura that signified her Attack stat rising.

"Focus Blast and Focus Punch combo!" Misty managed to make herself heard over the roars of the spectators. Her Pokémon nodded in acknowledgement, beginning to form a blue ball in one paw and directing energy into the other. Once the sphere was whole and complete, she raised it almost reverently into the air. The other blue-coated paw connected with the globe of pure energy, and the result of the attacks colliding was that the sphere shot forward faster than it would have by regularly launching it at the target—and gained _much_ more power with the force of the Focus Punch behind it.

The Fighting-type move barreled into Jynx, causing the field to practically explode; layers of dust rose to shadow it.

People in the stands were on the very edge of the seats, many actually falling off of them and stumbling as they regained their balance. There was a collective gasp as the debris cleared. Jynx had kept her balance, albeit barely, on shaking legs and was panting loudly.

Misty stared for awhile at the scene in front of her, a feeling of respect—one that had more meaning than her veneration of Lorelei—swelling inside of her. She exchanged glances with her own Water-type, and then locked eyes with her opponent. She nodded, exhaustion wearing her features as she continued to fight the looming threat of unconsciousness overtaking her body.

The redhead smiled; slight sadness was in her expression, but there was also a strong admiration for the other as well. She nodded back, and gave her Floatzel a pointed look. "Lyn, Iron Tail."

The sea weasel didn't give any outward sign of hearing her. A moment later, however, she set into motion and scurried to Jynx's side. She swung her Grass-infused attack at the humanoid creature, and debris shrouded the result of it all.

The whole stadium waited and watched with bated breath, then exploded into applause when the outcome was finally revealed. It was the upshot of the battle.

Jynx had collapsed in a heap on the floor of the arena, her eyes closed. The Human Shape Pokémon was definitely unable to battle, and was officially declared as such by the referee—though, after taking a brief glance at her, it was easy to come to that conclusion anyway. She was unmoving, fainted on the ground.

Lorelei unclipped her Poké Ball, and held it up. "You did your best," she murmured. "I couldn't have asked for anything better than that." The scarlet-red beam of light engulfed the unconscious Ice/Psychic-type, transmuting her into the same type of energy and sucking her in. "Thank you, Jynx."

At the same time, Misty ran onto the arena. Her feet pounded on the floor, but she didn't notice nor care as she swept her Floatzel up into a grand hug. The Water-type returned the gesture, with as much force as Misty. "Lyn, I'm so proud of you," she breathed softly into her fur. "You take a nice long rest—you deserve it." She recalled the thankful sea weasel, and slowly rose from her crouching position.

As she stood, a thundering ovation emanated from the crowd—one that put the last to shame.

"That was amazing!"

"So _cool_!"

"Lorelei's awesome!"

"Yeah, but Misty's Pokémon are better!"

"That battle . . . Wow. I just . . . I have no words."

As the two Trainers met in the middle of the damaged field and offered their hands, onlookers cheered even louder—if that were possible.

"That was a great fight, Misty. I honestly can't wait for a rematch, with a full six-on-six," Lorelei told her, smiling.

Misty's eyes widened; she didn't even bother trying to hide her shock. "Really?" she asked, with her normal ardor. However, one could also hear the doubt laced in her voice if they listened close enough.

The Elite Four member nodded. "Of course. It was fun battling you."

The redhead laughed, all of her skepticism from moments before replaced by a zeal for a challenge. "Well, then I look forward to it!"

* * *

She noticed them hanging around close to the exit, presumably waiting for her to rejoin their little group. It was actually heartwarming, knowing that they cared so much about their friends that they would wait rather than meet up later.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted cheerfully.

Ash's head snapped up immediately at the sound of her voice. He had been fiddling with a Poké Ball in his hands—one that nobody recognized; it had a lightning-bolt engraved in the top center—as he waited for Misty to return.

"Mist!" he exclaimed, enveloping her in a hug.

She started, surprised, before smiling and wrapping her arms around his torso and resting her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, Ash?"

". . . You did really good in your battle." His voice seemed strained, and his face had a faint blush.

Brock smirked. _It looks like someone isn't as dense as they were before._

"Th-thanks," Misty replied, stuttering slightly. Her cheeks were tinted pink as well.

A distance away, Iris deliberately held her hands around her neck and had a coughing fit. She made a few gagging noises, as well.

Misty, after a few moments of pure bliss and tranquility, forced herself to pull away from him. Despite that, though, her friends had realized that the gesture held more meaning between the two of them, knowing that they had kept it a bit longer than it should to be considered merely friendly. "Come on," she said, motioning towards the gateway. "Let's get out of here."

She began walking, followed by the other members of their group.

"Wait a minute." Brock's eyebrows furrowed, and he stopped quite suddenly.

Ash glanced over his shoulder. "What is it?"

"Where is Gary?" The inquiry made everyone else look over to each other questioningly, searching for the missing member of their small group.

"Somewhere." Ash's mind wandered back to the start of the match between Misty and Lorelei, and he realized with a choking laugh that the other to his side had been Gary. ". . . I am such an idiot," he muttered, sighing at his own stupidity. "He's probably looking around for something," the boy said, louder so that his friends could hear.

They all shared glances and shrugged, continuing to wander.

* * *

Misty couldn't help but blink as she made her way outside. The lights of the stadium, bright as they were, even still didn't compare to the blinding rays of the sun.

Ash was the only one who didn't seem fazed by it in the slightest. "What?" he asked, when they gave him odd looks. "Seriously, what?"

May stifled a giggle with one hand, shading her eyes with the other all the while. "Never mind."

"Okay?" He shook his head. "I'm not sure if I want to pry or be relieved, knowing you all . . ."

They looked at each other. "Huh? Is that . . . supposed to mean something?"

Ash shrugged, seemingly innocently. Inside, however, he was laughing.

They collectively ignored the wild grin on his face, all just deciding that Ash was Ash.

"Anyway," the teenager said, causing everyone to look at him again. "We really should get back to the Pokémon Center—especially you, Misty."

The group nodded their assent, and they set off for the building. It slowly faded into the background as they neared.

Ash held the door open for everyone, with a mock bow. "Ladies first." He smiled charmingly, though teasingly, at the girls as they passed.

Misty put her hand to her mouth. "Why, thank you, good sir," she razzed, nudging his shoulder playfully when she went by.

* * *

"That was so sickeningly sweet, it made me want to throw up," Iris muttered to Cilan, once he had entered himself.

He looked at her, not surprised but not appearing very happy that she had mentioned her opinion. "I thought it was cute," he told her, though she knew that he was chiding her for her rude comment. The somewhat-disappointed expression on his face, hidden to everyone but her, gave Iris everything she needed to know.

The girl sat sullenly on one of the nearby chairs, her right index finger moving on the circular table at random. It seemed as though it were creating something as she brooded silently. "Of course you would say that . . ."

Cilan sighed. "Iris . . ."

"Don't say–"

"Please, just _listen_ to me." His tone, sharp but still somehow managing to be full of compassion, got her attention.

She put her head in her hands. "Alright, fine. Whatever you want . . ."

"Have you not seen the two together? Do you really not want them to be with each other?" Cilan asked the girl.

She shrugged. "Cilan, I _do_ want them to! What I don't want, though, is–"

"They're flirting. They just don't realize it."

Iris was so surprised at being cut off from completing her sentence again that she merely stared blankly at him. ". . . _What_?" she said, incredulously. " _Flirting_? Ha! That's ridiculous!"

"They are," Cilan persisted. "They just don't realize it," he repeated.

She gave him a look of disbelief, and shook her head.

"Iris, Misty and Ash are flirting, but they don't even know it. They're clearly attracted to each other; I believe that they're afraid of the other's rejection. We need to get them together. I think the flirting will stop when they officially become a couple."

Iris blinked several times during the explanation, not having enough self-discipline to actually pay attention. She nodded along as he talked, despite the fact that she hadn't heard a word Cilan had uttered at all.

"Okay . . . Yeah, I think so, too . . ."

* * *

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Ash said gratefully. The others echoed his sentiments.

The woman laughed softly. "Of course! It's my pleasure. Healing Pokémon is something I love to do."

He nodded. "Still, thank you. For taking care of them, I mean."

She smiled, and began to busy herself with the light tasks of managing a Pokémon Center—typing up her verdict on treated Pokémon's conditions and issuing the forms to their respective Trainers; helping the Chansey with restoring Pokémon to their original state; distributing room keys to travelers that request them; assisting with preparing the meals in the cafeteria.

She had turned her back to Ash, and he visibly hesitated. He wasn't willing to disturb the kind Nurse, after all.

"Come on, Ash," Misty groaned, so only the boy could hear her. "Is it really that hard to ask her for something?"

The raven-haired Champion sighed at her impatience. "Nurse Joy?" he finally asked.

She turned, a bit startled by the Trainer she had thought had left. "Yes?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow in curiosity despite herself.

"We were wondering if you could give us some room keys," May explained to her. A worried frown crossed her face. "If that's okay with you . . ." she added, her expression not changing.

"Of course it's alright! A lot of people ask me that." Joy smiled tightly, checking the computer. "I'm very sorry, but we've only got one room at the moment. There were actually a lot more people here, but when news broke out that Lorelei was battling in the first round because of some 'novice', they bet that she would win. When she was defeated, they left angrily."

Ash sighed. "And that is why I don't bet." His tone was one of humor, but it was also serious. The group chuckled. "Really, though. Gambling puts too much at stake, and it isn't a wise move. Sure, I may have done the lottery a few times, but that's just when I have a few extra Poké Dollars and I don't know what to spend it on. I don't make it my life, like other people do."

"Wait a minute, you've done the lottery before?" To say that they were surprised was an understatement. Max was gaping at him after he had blurted the question out.

Ash shrugged. "Well, yeah. It was only twice. I probably just got lucky or something, but I won both times."

"That's . . . actually pretty impressive," Misty voiced.

He gave a smile to them. "Anyway—I think we can take the rooms. How many beds are there?"

"Four," Nurse Joy responded promptly.

Ash made some mental calculations. "Okay, yeah. I think we can work with that. Uh, May and Max—would you be uncomfortable sleeping in the same bed?"

The duo glanced at each other, then both shrugged simultaneously. "May's my sister. I don't really mind," the boy decided.

"Same," May said, nodding in agreement to her younger sibling's words. "We're only doing this for tonight, though."

Ash grinned. "That's fine," he told them. "Iris, Dawn, Misty, you can figure something out between yourselves. Brock, Cilan, you can get the other beds. I can sleep on the floor. Is that good?"

Misty shook her head, her eyes piercing. "No, Ash! You're not going to sleep on the floor!" she said vehemently.

"Then where will I?" he countered.

Misty paused. He _did_ bring up a fair argument, she admitted, but the girl wasn't going to allow her best friend and the one whom had stolen her heart take the aching ground to help them.

He smiled slightly at her attempt. "I'm used to it, Mist. It isn't the first time that I've not slept on a bed, and it definitely won't be the last." Ash's grin widened. "At least the sleeping arrangements are affirmed. Don't worry, I'll be fine!"

She gave him a dubious look, but sighed. "If you say so," the redhead finally relented.

He nodded firmly. "I'm going to go out and train, so I'm probably not going to be back for a while. Don't wait for me!"

They sighed collectively as he strode out of the building quickly, Pikachu scampering from his shoulder to his forearm and then leaping to the ground directly next to his Trainer.

Ash smiled lovingly at his starter Pokémon once they stepped through the doors. "It's nice, isn't it?"

The mouse grinned, easily keeping pace with the teenager's longer strides. " _Mhmm, it is."_

* * *

They entered a clearing as the sky darkened a small shade. Ash released all of his Pokémon from their confinements.

A Mienshao materialized, as did a Gardevoir and Gallade. Lucario emerged, automatically in a battle stance. Pidgeot gave a few strong beats of her wings, which drove her into the air—when she was still appearing, taking the form of the bird from unshaped energy.

A flash of light hailed the return of Zorua, who had come out of her Poké Ball unannounced. She shook her head, and turned a glare on Ash. " _What was that for?"_ she groused, her eyes narrowing in an accusing manner.

He rolled his eyes. "You were annoying everyone—as in, the entire group. Not just me."

She pouted, and growled in frustration. " _I'm not going to put up with this!"_ she declared. " _You can't make me train."_

Ash crossed his arms, sighing heavily. "Do you _want_ me to–"

She looked at him defiantly. " _I don't care what you do to me. I'm not training."_

Ash held up her Poké Ball.

" _Not that!"_ she screeched. " _Anything_ but _that!"_

"Fine." Ash put her Poké Ball away.

Zorua sighed in relief.

The boy then replaced the ball in his hand with another one, and promptly called for assistance.

Charizard appeared, an irritated expression on his face as he let a rumble escape him. His eyes locked onto the small Dark-type's trembling form, and they gained a predatory glint.

A wash of flame scorched Zorua, and she was finally persuaded enough to improve herself.

* * *

Ash appeared exhausted when he practically stumbled through the doors of the Pokémon Center, which surprisingly hadn't been locked yet. Pikachu's state, if anything, was worse than his Trainer's, having sparred against Lucario and Charizard at the same time and had only just managed a draw, mainly because the two had severely underestimated him since they were working as partners. Then, after that, he had decided to have a practice battle against Ash, which was close. The mouse had won, albeit barely.

To say that Nurse Joy was startled at their abrupt entrance and physical condition was a sad understatement. "Oh dear! What happened to the two of you? I had waited to close up for you, Ash, but what were you doing out there?"

He muttered an incoherent response, too worn out to think clearly. "S'ry," he murmured. "M'tired . . ." He trudged his way to the rooms, Pikachu trailing behind him with the same detached motions.

She blinked. "Alright, then . . . ?"

As the boy continued down the hall, the woman sighed and stepped out from the reception desk. She tapped his shoulder and proffered the key to him which he had asked her to hold onto while he was training. He accepted the item blindly, mumbling a garbled thanks her way.

She shook her head and backtracked, securing the front of the building. _After all_ , she reminded herself wearily, her thoughts barely comprehensible in her tired state, _no Trainer is going to be out there at this time. Ash was an exception, and even he's back now._ She yawned, her eyelids drifting closed.

Before she could think about falling asleep in the lobby, she forced herself to get up and go into the back room—her own room. She hastily changed into her pyjamas and practically tumbled onto the comfortable mattress, throwing her sheets up to cover herself at the same time as when she hit the bed.

* * *

Nobody noticed the vague silhouette of a human, standing near the entrance of the Pokémon Center. There was nothing to illuminate the figure, for the light had been flicked off by Nurse Joy just before she had locked the doors. "Dammit!"

* * *

Ash, despite his fatigue, was careful to sneak inside the room and try his absolute best to not disturb anybody.

Unfortunately, Pikachu had apparently forgotten that there was supposed to be others there, and Ash's efforts were put in vain as the mouse growled lowly and let loose a Thunderbolt out of instinct before even realizing he had done so.

Yells escaped the formerly sleeping Trainers as each of them awoke to just about fifty thousand volts coursing through their bodies.

Ash cringed at the scene, having been struck with Pikachu's _Thunder_ attack more times than he'd care to count. It wasn't pleasant.

Sharp glares were directed at the teenager, who in turn snapped his head toward the Mouse Pokémon, an expression of both mild annoyance and exasperation on his face.

The Electric-type rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. " _Sorry,"_ he muttered, looking down. " _I didn't mean it; I'm just not used to seeing so many people now in one place."_

Ash sighed, walking to the apologetic creature's side. "I know it's pretty hard to get used to," he murmured. "I'm having trouble myself, being around everyone again. But try to remember that we're sharing a room next time, please?"

" _Alright,"_ the mouse said happily. " _Can you tell them I'm sorry for me?"_

Ash met the eyes of the aggravated Trainers. "He says he's sorry, and I am, too. It's kind of hard remembering that we're not alone on Mt. Silver anymore . . ."

Misty glowered at him, but it soon changed into a soft smile. "Why can't I ever stay mad at you, Ash Ketchum?" she asked, rhetorically.

"Because you love me," he cheekily responded.

That statement prompted the redhead to disagree with him, and they began their bantering.

Brock smiled, wistfully, lost in a feeling of nostalgia. "I've missed this," he said to himself.

The others nodded in unspoken agreement.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay! Another chapter done. I very much hope you enjoyed that small battle scene; I tried making it at least** _ **adequate**_ **reading material. Please tell me whether I did fine or messed up horribly.**

 **Where** _ **is**_ **Gary, anyway? To be completely honest, I actually forgot to add him in this chapter, and I realized—just as I thought I was finished—that fact. The literal** _ **first**_ **thing I did was facepalm at my idiocy.** _ **Then**_ **I found a suitable place to put him in the story without making it seem as though it wasn't planned from the beginning. I certainly hope so, at any rate.**

 **I gave him a minor appearance this chapter, but it actually gives me a lot of varying options for the future ones.**

 **Oh, and some explaining needs to be done. What** _ **did**_ **the group accomplish during the years Ash wasn't there?**

 **. . . Read to find out.**

 **Did anyone actually think I was going to tell them? I'm sorry, but I'm giggling right now at the prospect. You are too gullible.**

 **Hey. What can I say? The truth hurts, and that's a fact. Mostly, anyway.**

 _ **And**_ **just because I didn't do it for the last chapter since I'm a moron and forgot about it, I'll answer the reviews. To both chapters.**

 **write n wrong: Thank you for the compliment! I'll try to make this something that reaches your expectations, and a story that you—and everyone reading, really—can love.**

 **Ledah: I'm so glad that you like my story! Oh, and Zorua is here. So is Espeon. I think you read my mind, because I really like Espeon, Lucario, and Zorua anyway and had planned on putting them in here in the first place.**

 **Sparkimus: Hopefully this was enough to satisfy your wish for the 'good stuff'. Thanks for the support as well!**

 **sortofbored: I'm overjoyed that you like this! Thank you so much!**

 **EmberSkies: . . . I honestly have no idea what to say to that. I guess . . . thanks for not insulting this story as much as my other one . . . ? I don't even know.**

 **The snow's gone** _ **now**_ **, but when you posted your review we were practically snowed in. However, the fact that we have a porch and a roof over the porch and some stairs leading up to the porch with the roof over it means that our door wasn't blocked by the snow. Just the streets, really.**

 **. . . I don't even know why you would wish for school. I just . . . I don't even . . . But– What– I mean–** _ **Why**_ **? Why torture yourself with thoughts like those?**

 **I'm kidding. Possibly. Maybe. I think so . . .**

 **Lover of Emotions: Thank you! I'm so happy you like this story, and hope that this chapter reaches your expectations.**

 **Alina 122: I'm glad to hear that you like this story so much to do that! Don't get caught up in it, though—I don't want you to fail because you didn't study . . .**

 **You didn't have to wait long, either, did you?**

* * *

 **You all have kind hearts, right? Hear my plea and review, please?**

 **Tell you what, the first three identifiable reviewers will get a shoutout each in the next chapter, and the first three reviewers—anonymous or signed—get virtual cookies!**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Ash will be battling in this chapter. If anyone is wondering why he is announced as Red, I'll explain it in detail further in the story.

There will be an unexpected new guest in this chapter. I only came up with the idea as I was writing the scene, and I think it came out good. Please tell me what you—as the readers—think in a review!

Also, I'm holding off the major PokéShipping. I'm sorry, but I had wrote this chapter months ago—and then I reread it, and realized how damn OP Ash was.

I blame no one but myself.

Looking back, I can't believe how horrible a writer I was. I'm going to try to fix that!

Anyway, I rewrote the chapter so that Ash isn't such an unbeatable (or is it unbearable? Meh . . .) badass because that's no fun.

I apologize for my young self. Hopefully this chapter changes everything.

. . . I swear I had a point to this.

Oh yeah! Because I edited this a lot, I figured that the entire sub-plot to this story did not fit. I originally had the romance in this chapter, but please bear with me!

There will be PokéShipping later, as well as Ikari and ContestShipping. Just not in this chapter.

* * *

"Hey, _Red_ ," Misty teased, nudging the raven-haired Champion playfully. The action jostled the Mouse Pokémon on his shoulder, who sent a halfhearted glare towards the redhead.

He blinked, then turned his head to meet her eyes, and smiled. "Yeah?"

She smirked back. "You're match is going to be pretty soon. I can't wait to see what Pokémon you're going to send out and how a Champion fights."

"Well . . . I'll try to make it interesting, but I can't promise much. After all, I was literally hiding on top of a rock for about a fourth of my lifetime. I have no idea if this girl will be that challenging. Of course, she _had_ to have been strong to make it here, but still . . ."

Misty hummed as she thought about his statement. "That is true . . ."

Ash smiled, almost shyly. "To be completely honest with you, Mist . . . I want to battle the people I _know_ are strong . . ." He hesitated, and then added, "People like Brock, and Max, and . . . and _you_."

The girl flushed, looking down abashedly. "W-well . . ." she began, struggling to come up with something to say. "I'm really not . . . not that . . ."

"Not good?" he finished, staring at her incredulously. "What the hell?"

She shrugged helplessly.

The raven-haired teenager sighed, shaking his head. "Jeez, Misty . . . You— I just— What do you—?" He truly seemed at a loss for words.

Finally managing to get a bearing on his thoughts, he took a breath. "How the hell can you say you aren't strong? That has got to be the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard anyone say, and I have to listen to myself every single day of my life."

Misty could only numbly register what he had said, shocked into a grand stupor. "Wow . . . Thanks, Ash," she said softly, hardly able to think.

He grinned. "I'm only stating the truth."

* * *

Brock looked up from his laptop. "Where's Gary?" he asked, only to be met with silence. "Guys? _Guys_?"

He finally glanced toward the others in the room, and saw the stunned expressions on their faces.

". . . We forgot him, didn't we." It wasn't even a question.

"Um, well . . . I'm certain he's fine!" Dawn attempted with an overly-cheerful smile, trying to muster up some of her typical enthusiasm to blanket her anxiety.

Max snorted. "Sure he is."

May hit him on the head, and he muttered something incomprehensible—to most of them, at least, for the brunette smacked him again and hissed an obvious threat into his ear, causing him to blanch upon hearing it.

". . . Anyway," Brock continued, wisely deciding to just ignore the sight before him. "We really should go and search for him. Even just for a little while, but we owe him that."

Iris sighed, aggravated, and put her head in her hands. "Sometimes it feels like I'm the most mature one in this group," she groused. "How the hell could he get _lost_ here?"

Serena, who'd caught Misty's attention earlier when the redhead had taken a walk, clapped her hands loudly, bringing all eyes to her. "I agree. Gary's been such a huge help with training our Pokémon, and he probably just found something that interested him."

The others exchanged glances. "Y-yeah." May hesitated, then smiled a bit tentatively at her friends.

They got the message, and decided to play up the act. "I guess that is possible. He _does_ get sidetracked a lot." Cilan shrugged, an action that was rather uncharacteristic of himself.

Seeing the lengths that the green-haired adult was willing to go to, Iris leaned back. "It's just _annoying_! One moment, he's here; the next, he's gone off running somewhere else!"

"But where do you think we could find him?" the honey-haired girl continued.

Everyone grew quiet, all concentrating on that one question.

" _Actually_ , maybe if . . ." Dawn hummed, after much thought.

Brock waited a moment, and sighed once he realized that the girl was staring longingly at a Shiny Beautifly through the window. _It's like_ everybody _has Shiny Pokémon these days_ , he mused.

May took the initiative. "Yes?" she prompted.

"Huh?" Her gaze snapped from the discolored Bug/Flying-type to her fellow Coordinator in an instant.

Realization flashed in her cobalt eyes. "Oh, right, that! Yeah, I think our best bet would be to wait until Ash's battle; Gary wouldn't want to miss it, and I doubt we'd find him by looking outside in the forest."

Cilan's eyebrows furrowed. "That is true," he admitted. "I must say, she has a point."

Brock rubbed his temple. "I can't say I like it, but there is logic to that decision. It's just . . . Gary reminds me so much of how Ash used to be, and I just—I worry. I . . . don't want _him_ to get hurt, too. I mean, the way Ash was."

It wasn't discussed between them, but they'd _all_ grieved when they'd heard what had happened, and even more so as they were informed that he was reported as dead—not only Misty, though she had been affected the worst out of them all.

"Yeah . . ."

Nobody had anything else to say.

It was a statement one just didn't have a casual response to.

* * *

"This is the first round of battles, continued from yesterday! Congratulations to the victors the day former, especially Miss Waterflower for emerging victorious against Lorelei of the Elite Four!"

Applause rang out as everybody got a fresh reminder of the exhilarating scene.

"This Trainer is definitely renowned worldwide! All the way from the far region of Unova, give it up for Vale Johnson!" the announcer continued enthusiastically, with probably much more energy than was needed or appreciated.

Nevertheless, it seemed to spread like wildfire; the majority cheered loudly, standing up to greet the foreign participant with a ruckus as she strode confidently into the Green Trainer's Box. The very few people in the vicinity who had not heard even once of the supposedly great youth still clapped politely, spurred on by the commentator's grand excitement.

The man waited until the spectators settled to introduce Vale's opponent. "Please welcome another, quite possibly even more familiar, face! An enigma for sure, not much is known about this shady character—which may have increased his popularity and rogue charm tenfold!

"Many attribute this—surprisingly young—man as being taciturn, but most believe that he is for a good cause. Because he is such a mystery, however, some suspect that his actions are ambiguous.

"One thing is for sure with this person, though; he is definitely considered among everyone as equivocal, and difficult to understand. A strong Trainer indeed; give it up for our very own currently reigning Champion, Red Satoshi!"

If the one that Vale had been offered was loud, the acclamation from the audience as Ash entered the arena and stood on the opposite end of Vale was earsplitting—because describing it as deafening would have been an insult.

* * *

"Did you find him yet?" a boy with chartreuse hair questioned.

The other teenager, with mauve hair, growled. "No! I saw him earlier, though! Why is he not here?"

* * *

The two Trainers walked down to the center of the field, and shook hands.

"You must have already known by now who I am, but I'd like to formally introduce myself to you. I'm Red, and this is my partner," —He gestured to the mouse perched on his right shoulder— "Pikachu."

The Electric-type waved, with a grin.

Vale smirked. "It's an honor to finally meet you in person. I'm Vale, and I hope we can make this a good fight."

"I agree."

With those words, they parted and each positioned themselves once again at their respective sides of the battlefield. Glancing at the referee, they nodded simultaneously.

She stared both of them down, gathering her own bearings while doing so, and took in a short breath.

Exhaling, she raised the two flags—one red, and one green. "This match is a one-on-one between Vale Johnson of Unova and Red Satoshi of Kanto! The first to be declared unable to battle is defeated! Trainers, ready?"

At their affirmation, she lowered the flags. "Green takes first move! Begin!"

Not a second after, the older female winked at her opponent. "I've heard tales about your strength, and I'm ready for whatever you bring out!"

She plucked a specially colored ball—Ash easily recognized it as a Timer Ball—off of her belt, and sent it soaring into the air.

With a flash, a fairly unhappy-looking Togekiss materialized.

"Oh, no, not _again_ . . ." Vale moaned, rubbing her temple. "Angel, are you alright?" she asked, concern ebbing its way onto her features.

The dual Fairy/Flying-type just sulked.

Vale sighed. "She's been acting this way ever since I caught her," she informed Ash, who remained still. "I thought a battle would help her out, but . . ."

Ash glanced at his opponent, then turned his gaze to Pikachu. "Is that who I think it is?" he breathed.

The mouse nodded, his jaw slack. _"Yeah, it's definitely her!"_

"What is she . . . ?" He moved his shoulder, forcing Pikachu off. "Go talk to her. See what's wrong, and that's an order."

 _"_ _Jeez,"_ he grumbled, hopping down onto the ground. _"You don't have to be so_ rude _about it, though . . ."_

Without another direction from Ash, the Mouse Pokémon bounded onto the field. _"Hey!"_ he called, momentarily gaining the brooding Togekiss's attention.

She sighed, somber. _"What is it? Just—make it fast. I really don't want to be here."_ She sighed again.

Pikachu's ears drooped. _"That's not . . ."_

He shook his head, tears brimming in his eyes. _"Togekiss, this . . . this isn't you. You weren't like this,_ ever _. You were a happy-go-lucky baby, a Togepi; then older and more mature as a Togetic. But you were_ never _sad, not ever!"_

The water finally spilled, dropping onto the stadium floor; he knew very well that he had just taken a huge risk, but he had felt compelled to do so. _"Tell me . . . What's wrong?"_

Togekiss's head snapped up. _"Uncle . . . Uncle P-Pikachu? That's . . . Is that you?"_ Pure shock was in her expression.

The mouse grinned. _"Yep! It is!"_ Then he frowned. _"Togekiss, please. Why are you . . . ?"_

He paused.

 _"_ _You miss Misty, don't you?"_

The sympathy in his voice was _so_ _painful_ to hear.

She nodded, staring at the ground. _"Yeah, I do."_

She then shook her head—wanting to clear it, but only ending up more depressed. _"She was . . . She was like a mother to me, Pikachu . . ."_

Togekiss's sorrow alone was enough to shatter his heart.

 _"_ _. . . You really miss her, don't you?"_ he asked rhetorically, already knowing what her answer would be.

She quivered, and only barely kept herself from breaking down then and there.

 _"_ _There, there,"_ Pikachu comforted, patting her with a golden paw. _"You're gonna be alright, I promise."_

Vale shook her head. "I wish someone could tell me what's wrong . . . Maybe then I could actually help . . ."

Ash looked on sadly. "Togekiss—I mean, Angel . . ." —The name definitely felt odd on his tongue, but he ignored the thought— "She had a Trainer before, you know."

Vale's head shot up. "How do you—"

"That's . . . kind of a long story," he interrupted, chuckling apologetically. "Sorry."

She merely rolled her eyes. "Go on then."

Ash shrugged. "Hey, I really _am_ sorry, but I sort of want to get this moving. Basically, to sum it up, I know this Togekiss, and I also know her old Trainer."

* * *

Up in the stands, a particular redhead instantly got to her feet. "Oh, dear Arceus . . ." she breathed, her sea-green eyes wide. "It's _not_ . . ."

* * *

"Who is it?" Vale asked, her curiosity naturally getting the best of her.

Ash raised his sights to the audience. "Why, Misty Waterflower, of course."

Togekiss, upon hearing her beloved surrogate mother's name, shot her head up to the stands in a frenzy. _"She's_ here _? Right now, in this_ very room _?"_

He chuckled, as did Pikachu. _"Togekiss,"_ the mouse said, amused. She looked at him, renewed hope gleaming in her suddenly bright eyes. _"Of course she is."_

 _"_ _Oh, thank you, Uncle Pikachu!"_ she exclaimed, throwing herself at him.

He rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish expression on his face as he accepted her embrace. _"I really didn't do anything . . ."_

Ash, meanwhile, had cleared his throat and asked for a microphone. Bemused, the referee offered one, and he took it with a grateful smile. "Alright," he spoke into the microphone—testing to see whether it was on.

His voice reverberated around the stadium walls, and caught everyone's attention in an instant. The chatter died immediately; the room fell completely silent.

Down near the battle arena, Ash blinked. ". . . I actually was _not_ expecting that." He then shook his head slightly. "Misty Waterflower is requested onstage. Misty Waterflower, please make your way onstage."

People watched in confusion as a beaming teenager—easily recognized as the one that defeated Lorelei in a match—flew down the aisles with astounding bursts of speed, unflinchingly staring at Red as she confidently stood in front of him.

He nodded to her, before gesturing to the Togekiss. "Do you know this Pokémon?"

A disbelieving laugh tore from her throat; her eyes glittered with unshed tears.

"Of course I do . . . I'd know her anywhere . . ." She cursed her suddenly hoarse voice to the depths of Hell, and swallowed thickly.

"Toge—" Misty suddenly stopped herself, irritably rubbing her eyes.

"I was just about to say Togetic . . ." she whispered meekly to the Fairy/Flying-type, crouching down.

The Jubilee Pokémon was silent for a moment, not able to move—and then she suddenly launched herself at the redhead, catching the girl off guard. _"Mom!"_ she cried happily.

Her arms wrapped around Togekiss instinctively, without feeling, and then Misty finally realized completely that her surrogate daughter had returned. "Oh, sweetie . . . You don't know how much I missed you . . ." she sobbed, squeezing her tightly.

 _"_ _Oh, I think I do . . ."_ Togekiss countered, leaning into the girl's hug.

Ash lowered the microphone, deftly turning it off, and swiveled around to face his opponent. "Togekiss was released by Misty as a Togetic," he explained quietly.

"But . . . why would she do that?" Vale asked in turn.

It was a valid question; after all, they seemed as close a parent and child could get—closer, perhaps.

He smiled, glancing back at his friend. "Maybe you two should meet up and ask her yourself . . . It's really not my story to tell."

Vale sighed, taking Togekiss's Timer Ball off of her belt. "Good idea . . ."

"By the way, how did you capture her? She puts up a good fight; I was sort of surprised seeing her here," Ash commented.

"Oh, that?" Vale said. "I found her flying with a group of other Togekiss and Togetic. And yeah—she's definitely an amazing battler. To be honest, I challenged her 'cause she seemed like the strongest."

Smiling slightly in nostalgia, the girl continued, retrieving the said Pokémon's ball. "Angel—er, _Togekiss_ —actually defeated Mnementh, but she was weakened severely. I couldn't leave her like that, so I caught her and took her to a nearby Center."

Ash nodded. "That makes sense."

As he said that, Vale took one look at the reunited pair, and then her eyes fell to the Timer Ball held in her hands. She seemed sad for a moment, but then a slight smile crossed over her face.

The Champion looked on curiously, and then he tensed upon seeing Vale return Togekiss. However, he relaxed again as she almost instantly pressed the middle button of the capsule; a blue aura surrounded the dual type as she materialized once more, and then it broke off—freeing her from the influence of the Timer Ball.

"I _know_ I don't even have to ask this of you," Vale stressed, walking over to Misty, "but please take care of her."

The redhead looked down at the Pokémon, smiling gently. "Of _course_ I will," she affirmed. "Vale, there's something you need to know . . . Togekiss is like a _daughter_ to me . . . I wouldn't trade her for the world."

"Glad to hear it." Vale turned to Togekiss. "I'm so sorry about the misunderstanding, and I'm glad you found Misty."

" _Thanks!"_ Togekiss replied. _"Oh—and for the record, there wasn't any misunderstanding."_

The female Trainer sighed. "I guess that means I forfeit . . ."

Ash frowned. "I didn't win."

"What do you mean?"

"I just don't think it's a win without actually battling," he admitted.

Vale grinned. "I'm up for a fight still, if that's what you want!"

She whipped her hand out and released a Salamence. "Take flight, Mnementh!"

He let out a deafening roar, and showed off a bit of his power by discharging fire into the air. Then he followed it up with a stream of draconic flame, which flashed gaudily and flickered between a murky-green and a lurid blue.

Ash smirked, looking pointedly at his partner. "Does that remind you of somebody?"

Pikachu grinned deviously. _"We know how to deal with this; this'll be a piece o' cake."_

The referee glanced at both Trainers, and sighed. "Sorry to burst your Bubble," she deadpanned, "but we're gonna have to have a few minutes to get everything ready again."

They sighed.

* * *

"Okay, Trainers ready?" Anna, the referee, asked a little while later.

Ash nodded, thanking her.

Vale, on the other hand, was tapping her foot impatiently. "C'mon, hurry up! We don't have all day! I've been waiting for this!" she exclaimed.

Pikachu chuckled, sending a cheeky grin his Trainer's way. _"Remind you of someone?"_

He stared at his partner, eyelids lowered, obviously not impressed. "Shut it."

"Alright!" Anna interrupted, glancing first at Vale and then Ash. "Battle—begin!"

 _"_ _Thunder!"_ the Electric-type proclaimed, lancing a thin bolt of lightning outwards.

It made contact with the Dragon's large scales, to which he merely waved it off.

 _"_ _That tickles,"_ he chortled, then met the mouse's eyes. _"That's a_ Thunder _? If that was it, you might as well give up. I don't know how you managed to become Champion."_

Pikachu's eyes narrowed. He disappeared with a burst of speed, and phased into existence again behind Mnementh. _"Who said that_ was _a Thunder?"_

 _"_ _You did, didn't you?"_ Mnementh blinked.

Before he could say anything else, however, Pikachu swiveled in midair and let the Electro Ball fly. The Salamence roared in agony, and then he growled.

A Thunder Wave snapped out and unerringly struck the downed Dragon-type.

"Facade!" Vale ordered.

Ash's eyes widened. "Move!"

Pikachu didn't need to be told twice. With Extreme Speed, he flashed away from the incoming attack. However, even with the increase in speed, the Facade managed to land a glancing blow. He winced, gradually slowing down to a halt.

Mnementh saw his chance, and turned to make eye contact with his Trainer. Vale nodded, understanding the gesture. "Alright, take flight! Zen Headbutt!" she called, fisting the air above her.

The dragon roared, spreading his wings to its full span. Lowering himself to the ground for leverage, the earth shook when he lifted off, and he used the power of his launch to easily gain height.

An indistinct pink aura appeared just millimeters from his forehead, the energy broadening until there was a thick layer over the topmost part of his skull.

Flaring his wings, Mnementh growled at his opponent, still sprawled out on the stadium floor. Transitioning from his brief hover to a sharp dive, he abruptly began shedding height for incredible speed.

"Arceus!" Ash cursed, gaze fixated on his best friend. "Pikachu, dodge!"

The Mouse Pokémon struggled to stand, but realized that he would not be able to evade the Salamence. Instead, he made a Wish just before approximately one-hundred kilograms of dragon came down on his hapless form.

The raven-haired teenager looked on, worry flashing in his eyes, his brow furrowing.

 _He is definitely still in the fight—he used Wish, and_ one _Zen Headbutt couldn't take him out . . . But, even so, he's most likely_ really _injured, and another attack at that level of power could very well knock him unconscious . . . Wait a minute—another attack . . . ? Oh, no!_

His breathing quickened, and his mind whirred. _I wouldn't put it past Vale to have figured that out, too—which means only one thing . . ._

"Pikachu! You have to get out of there! Agility, before—"

"Draco Meteor!" An eerie blue sphere formed at Mnementh's gaping maw, and he shot it up into the sky—where it immediately broke off into a cluster of large meteorites.

Pikachu cringed, forcing himself to find balance on his paws. Panting heavily, he began to move around the field. It was difficult, but he managed it.

He knew that it was futile, attempting to bypass them all, but his stubbornness was what gave him incentive to try. He was _not_ just going to sit there passively and accept defeat with his head lowered, dammit! If he was going to lose, he would rather at least keep his dignity intact and go down fighting!

He gathered what little remained of his strength, and weaved amongst the rocks from the artificial meteor shower. Several of them landed harsh blows, but fortunately his aforementioned Wish was granted before his health depleted entirely.

Pikachu was enveloped in a soft light, and when it faded he appeared to have regained about half of his lost energy. Glancing back at Ash, he gave the teenager a confident smile. _"I've got this, don't worry!"_

Furious, the opposing Salamence opened his large maw, and a broad torrent of fire lanced out in front of him.

"What are you doing, Mnementh?" Vale said, a note of panic in her tone.

The Electric-type narrowly evaded the Flamethrower, his fur being singed in the process, but Mnementh pressed his advantage with a concentrated bout of Dragon Breath before he could retaliate. The draconic energy scored a hit, and the large creature followed up with a Dragon Claw.

Ash frowned. "Does your Salamence have a problem with rage?"

"I don't know!" the girl replied, eyes wide, suddenly shaken. "He's never acted this way before, not even against those we had no chance of beating!"

The mouse returned it with a barrage of Thunder Punches, and just as Mnementh was readying another attack, his affliction prevented him from moving. His untimely setback allowed Pikachu enough time to add in a Disarming Voice.

That proved to be too much for the enduring Salamence—the damage caused by the super-effective attack was more than he could handle. He staggered, then stumbled, his legs buckling, not able to support his weight anymore.

He collapsed, crumpling in a heap on the floor as he lost consciousness.

Vale sighed, holding up the capsule. She shook her head, the red beam lancing out and enveloping the Dragon Pokémon.

"Mnementh . . ." she said sadly, wistfully, staring at the ball in her hands as she reminisced about their time together. "What _was_ that?"

Ash called Pikachu back, and the mouse obliged. Running toward his Trainer and best friend, the Electric-type leapt into his arms.

The teenager clutched him to his chest tightly, and Pikachu felt water spilling onto his fur. _"Ash, are you okay?"_

" _No_ , I'm not," the boy murmured, holding the Pokémon even tighter. "I was so worried, buddy . . ."

Pikachu's ears drooped. _"Sorry . . . I didn't think it would affect you so much . . ."_

"But it—but it _did_ ," Ash returned, not able to hide his hiccup. "Pikachu, _please_ —promise that you won't scare me like that again! I don't—I don't know what I'd do without you here with me . . . "

The mouse couldn't bear seeing his friend so upset over him, and so he forced himself to plaster on a weak smile. _"Ash . . . I know. You'd be forever lost without me . . ._ especially _in forests."_

That prompted a small chuckle, and the teenager blinked the rest of his tears away. "Yeah, I probably would be . . . forever lost . . ."

"Red!" Vale called, jogging over to his side of the field. "I— . . ."

He studied her silently, head lowered. "Yes?"

"What happened, you know, with Mnementh?"

He shrugged, the bill of his hat shadowing his tear-stained face. "I've no idea."

She looked down, trying desperately to hide her crestfallen expression at his response. "Oh . . ."

Still keeping his face from view, Ash sighed. "I'm sorry," he murmured quietly.

"N-no," she told him, voice merely a whisper. "Don't be . . . I'll figure it out myself . . . It's my responsibility as a Trainer anyway . . ."

The boy shook his head, biting his lip. Finally, he let out a soft groan, pulling his hat down even more. "I just . . . I wish I could have been of more help."

"It's fine," Vale assured, looking up and managing a faint grin for his benefit. "Trust me. This could just be a test," she said brightly.

"I guess so . . ." Ash mused, though his dull tone said otherwise.

Eventually, he glanced at her—but avoided eye contact—and nodded curtly. "Thanks for that battle."

She smirked, winking at him. "No prob!"

With that, the two parted ways, and Ash finally allowed himself to bury his head in his partner's fur.

 _"_ _Ash, cheer up . . ."_ The Electric-type pleaded, his ears flat against his head. _"I'm fine, okay?"_

He did not answer verbally, but Pikachu both heard and felt the shuddering breath Ash took. He straightened, regaining composure.

Truth be told, for once Ash was not at all eager to meet with his friends.

* * *

A/N: And . . . done! Sorry about how late this chapter is, by the way. I've taken quite some time off from fanfiction, haven't I?

A really addictive app called Unison League is why. To be honest, it's practically become my life now.

As you can see, I'm _completely_ mature and responsible. Heheheh . . .

Anyway, I definitely hope that I've gotten better as a writer. Though I don't know how that would be possible, seeing as I've done nothing productive or related to writing stories whatsoever.

Oh, and before I forget—I promised cookies! And shoutouts. That too.

I have to say, I was more than just a little disappointed upon seeing how many people actually reviewed . . . I guess that's mainly my fault though, isn't it? I'm sorry . . .

Thanks to Rio34, Miss geek, and Sparkydragon98 for their such kind comments!

Rio – I'm trying to add some humor to this story, and Zorua is my primary filter for that. Your hunch was correct, and I'm glad someone noticed! That tells me I'm doing alright with this.

Miss geek – Thank you so much! I've read what you said countless times, and you don't know how amazing it's always made me feel. As always, I'll try to post chapters that I've put my utmost effort into writing, and I hope that they brighten your day just as much as your review did mine.

Sparkydragon – Truthfully, I'd considered the idea, but I figured that it was too predictable, and so decided with this route. I'm glad you liked the battle scene though; it says a lot, especially because I feel like it could have gone a lot better.

I hope that the quality of this chapter makes up for its lateness, but as a writer, I don't feel like it would. I apologize once more, and I hope that the next one won't be as much as a wait!


	6. Preview & AN

A blur of yellow was all anybody was able to make out—that was, of course, if they even managed to, in the first place, catch a glimpse of the manic Pikachu scampering down the hallways and darting through each and every open door at insane speeds, whacking the doors that refused to allow him entry with a powerful Iron Tail, and generally making the Pokémon Center a temporary hell for all of the people mingling there.

The Electric-type, not winded whatsoever from running about the rooms and corridors, didn't bother to stop for a quick breath. All that ran through his mind was the image of his broken Trainer, coupled with the whirling thoughts of _I need to find him!_ and _Arceus-dammit, Ash! Where in the Reverse World are you?_ , as well as the occasional, unfinished threats—all beginning with _When I find you next, Ash Satoshi Ketchum . . ._

 _"How can you be so_ stupid _,"_ Pikachu muttered furiously to himself, never ceasing in his pursuit of Ash Ketchum. _"_ Arceus _! He's suc_ _h a careless_ idiot _!"_ the Pokémon continued to curse. _"Always making everyone worry . . . Why must he have such a big heart?"_

* * *

Hey, y'all! Sorry guys; I know that the Rules ban chapters which content consists solely of Author's Notes; I realize that most people are likely reading this and thinking _So what? Just do it anyway._ I know it's unlikely that I would have gotten called out on it, considering just how many people I alone have seen with stories that have Author's Notes as chapters. But I find it incredibly rude to all of my readers, and disappointing to both them and myself.

I wanted to give some content, even if only a little, just to show that I actually _am_ working on this story! So, this is a preview for the next full chapter! I'm sorry that I've taken this long, but I may or may not have completely forgotten about FanFiction for a really long time . . . Heh, heh . . . *sweatdrops*

Anyway, just as an apology, I wanted to get this out to you all! Thanks so much for being so patient! Please bear with me; I am having an incredibly difficult time right now, and I'd appreciate it if you all kept me in your thoughts and/or prayers, if you're religious. This school year especially has almost killed me, physically _and_ emotionally. I am _so_ glad that Summer Break is nearing! One more full week of school, and then I'll be out!

I want _everybody_ to know this one thing, though: No matter what happens, I will not abandon this story. I've received such great feedback from various people, and it's one of the ones I've enjoyed writing immensely. Trust me when I say that this is letting me explore some genres that I'm not very familiar with, such as romance.

Shoutouts to all of the people who reviewed the last chapter! Thanks for sticking with me; again, just know that no matter what, I'm finishing this story! So stay tuned for the next installment!


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